My Girl
by Foayasha
Summary: AU: Her adopted daughter was the center of her life, but she had doubts she could really raise her alone. Well who comes to the rescue? Her daughter's kindergarten teacher of course! InuKag Rating for language: Complete! Epilogue up.
1. Prologue

My Girl

by Foayasha

_Disclaimer: The epic of Inuyasha, while wonderful, does not belong to me. Thus I cannot, and do not, claim to own any of the characters in this short story... that goes doubly so for the one whose hands are shaking._

_AU: Her adopted daughter was the center of her life, but she had doubts she could really raise her alone. Well who comes to the rescue? Her daughter's kindergarten teacher of course! InuKag_

_AN: I get the feeling that some people think this is going to be a drama from the prologue... well, it isn't. Just FYI..._

Thanks to ShagsTheDustmop for being my wonderful beta ^_^

**My Girl – Prologue**

* * *

A young lady sat in a cold dormitory, mascara stained tears streaming down her porcelain cheeks. She held a pen poised to a piece of paper, attempting to write the final details of her wish, just in case one day she couldn't fulfill it. The task was so difficult; she was still in a great deal of pain, emotionally and physically. It was for the best, it was something she had to do.

Looking to the corner of her desk, she found the pill bottle, and popped off the lid. Tapping the open end of the container to her palm, she allowed several large white pills to pour out onto her waiting hand. Tossing her head back, she took the pills into her stomach, washing it down with her own saliva. Her water had been interrupted earlier this month due to her delinquent account.

How had things turned out so terribly? At the beginning of the year she was on the fast track to a wonderful life. School was nearly finished, she had a great apartment, and although her love life hadn't gotten anywhere, she still had hope. She just had to have too many drinks that one night. The night she allowed herself to sully her life, and now she lived at the point of poverty. She couldn't feel guilt; at least her child would be taken care of, in a good family. She had seen to that, now she had to rebuild her life back to where it was before she went and got knocked up.

Signing the paper she deposited it into a small clean envelop. Maybe one day she could look back, and find the girl. She prayed that she would have a wonderful life, and always be around a family who loved her. It was the least she could do after all. Now it was time to look forward, and get her life back on track.

No regrets.

[:::]

Across Town

"Oh my, there are so many different places to sign," the young woman giggled. Her excitement was obvious as her hand shook across the document, seeking out the next 'x' where her initials would be placed. Sitting to her left was a young man, casually smiling as he signed his initials next to his partners. They both seemed to have stars in their eyes, and hearts filled with love. It was a match made in heaven.

"And just this last one here, and you're completely done," stated an older woman, pointing to the final section that needed a signature. She was dressed professionally, with a kind expression on her weary face. This was her second adoption this week, and preparing the paperwork while her assistant was out of town had exhausted her. "So, will you be keeping her name?"

The younger woman's blinding smile answered her, as she nodded, "We think it's perfect, but we'd like her to take our surname. Aimi Akitoki, beloved, it's perfect."

"It really is, congratulations," the social worker smiled, as she leaned in to shake their hands, "you are now the proud parents of a beautiful baby girl."

* * *

**[~A:|:N~]**

**518**

**_Vocab Time!_**

_**Aimi** - Beloved_

So there you have it, the intro to **My Girl**. ^_^

Cheers - Foayasha


	2. Just put an AD in the paper

My Girl

by Foayasha

_Disclaimer: The epic of Inuyasha, while wonderful, does not belong to me. Thus I cannot, and do not, claim to own any of the characters in this short story... but, i'll take full credit for the one who wants all the flavors._

_ShagsTheDustmop is awesome btw ^_^ thanks girly for cleanin up my sweet spelling errors._

**My Girl Chpt 1 - Just put an AD in the paper**

* * *

"Hello, Kagome Higurashi. May I ask who is calling?" she answered in a chipper voice. The lulling brush strokes on her scalp and through her raven locks were soothing. Her daughter had taken it upon herself to tame the abundance of glossy hair, while she sat perched on the back of their couch behind her. The two of them watched afternoon cartoons, and ate mini bagels that looked like bite sized pizzas. It was nice to be able to take a break from work to spend time with her.

"_Is this Kagome Higurashi, formerly Kagome Akitoki?"_ the voice on the other line questioned.

"Yes, it is," she muttered dryly. "What, may I ask, is the nature of this call?"

Being addressed by _that_ name wasn't exactly endearing. She hadn't even personally spoken with her ex-husband since the divorce had finalized. What had it been? At least 2 years since the end of her 'happy marriage'?

"_I am sorry to inform you, but Mr. Akitoki was in a terrible car accident last week, he passed away this morning. You were listed in his will to receive thirty five percent of his holdings..."_ the voice trailed off in the back of her mind.

Hojo... had passed away? Now it really was just her raising the young girl. At least Sota and her mother were helpful, but they lived pretty far away. What would she do? Should she be sad?

Of course she was shocked he had died, but he had scorned her with the way he practically refused to be a part of their daughter's life. He admitted the only reason he went along with the adoption was as a last ditch effort to keep the marriage alive. That is, after Kagome realized she couldn't bear his children. Hojo had even acted as if he would still be a father to the child, but in the end, all she saw was his monthly child support check. Now Aimi didn't even have a penpal dad.

She shook her head, attempting to rid her mind of such unpleasant thoughts. She still had Aimi, and that was all she needed. Right? The two of them had truly bonded, as mother and daughter; even in her heart she knew she was meant to take care of, to love, this girl. When it came to Hojo, Aimi hardly noticed the vacant appearance of a father figure. However, school would be starting soon. She knew it wouldn't take long for Aimi to see she only had one parent, but most of the other children had two.

"_Ms. Higurashi?"_ the voice said questioned again.

"Oh, I'm sorry about that. This is just a lot of news," Kagome responded sadly.

"_We're going to need you to come into the office next week, to finalize the details in his will,"_ the voice said again.

"That's fine, send me an email with the meeting info, and I'll be there," she said finally. "Thank you for contacting me."

"_You're welcome, goodbye,"_ the voice said as she ended the call.

Kagome leaned back, lightly pinning the small girl's legs between her and the back of the couch. Aimi began to squirm, before awkwardly scaling the springy couch cushions. After a bit of fumbling, she came around to sit on her mothers lap.

Aimi was a sweet girl, living up to her name: totally and completely lovable. Recently she had her fifth birthday, which she received a doll house from Kagome, and a check in the mail from Hojo. The money was used to purchase her several new outfits for her first couple weeks of kindergarten.

The girls features were amiable, with sweet smiles, and lively eyes. And even though she knew they didn't share any genes, she always thought the girl held a striking resemblance to herself. Perhaps she loved the girl so much that she could find similarities between them, even when they were only minor. This didn't mean she would ever turn down the complements from others about how 'her beautiful daughter looked just like her beautiful mother'. On the other side, Aimi did hold several specific differences from her. Her angelic grin was accented perfectly by a set of amber eyes, framed by thick platinum locks.

She knew that Aimi's paternal parents were most likely of Japanese decent, like her own family. So her coloring was extremely exotic, and unexpected. When they had picked her up from the hospital, only days after she was born, her eyes were dark brown and her downy hair lay as black wisps on her tanned head. As she matured, her hair lightened, to a nearly silver hue, and her eyes changed to a significantly golden color. She was beautiful, and unique. She was Kagome's life and her pride, nothing could change it.

Around her neck hung a small chain showcasing a simple smooth charm; it was made of silver, no larger than a dime. The pendant was a special item to her daughter, an heirloom of sorts, so it was important to her that Aimi would have the keepsake even as an adult. She would normally insist that the girl keep it in her 'safe place': a jewelry box in her mother's room. However, since her daughter's birthday was so recent, and she was getting older, Kagome allowed her to wear the charm several days in a row.

Absentmindedly the girl pulled the charm along the edge of the chain, creating a faint zipping sound against the noise of the television. She leaned her head on the woman's chest, and began a light humming purr. Kagome loved her daughter, but the older she got, the more she seemed to take on odd, yet extraordinary traits. Standard blood tests were given, as procedure for the adoption to see if she had any youkai blood, but they came back negative.

Her physicians mentioned that the tests at such a young age were normally unreliable, but to be honest, Kagome didn't care. Only Hojo was concerned with whether or not the girl was part youkai. His family being strictly against it, and she figured that was part of the reason for his departure. Even though the tests were negative, as she got older, her features and behavior said otherwise. Kagome only loved her more for it, considering it would only be a benefit for her daughter's future.

There was no need to fear the youkai blood which most likely ran through her veins. Those mystical beings had equal rights in this day in age, and were rarely even discriminated against in the work place. Only the old families, who insisted on holding prejudices, held any distaste for them. Go figure she would marry into one of them, and then of all the children she could adopt, she managed to get her hands on one that would never be accepted.

Not like that mattered to Kagome, she always abided by the philosophy that blood cannot define a person. Her daughter was perfect, regardless.

"Mommy, Mr. Akitoki isn't going to send me letters anymore, is he?" Aimi said, more as a statement, rather than a question.

"No darling, I'm afraid he isn't," she said hugging her daughter's small form. The familiar pang of sadness hit her, but she forced it away. It was best to put such thoughts out of her mind for the time being. Aimi was extremely sensitive to her mother's mood, and she didn't want to burden the girl. "Tell you what, would you like to get some ice-cream?"

"Uh huh! Can we, please?" Aimi responded excitedly. "Can I get any flavor I want, Mommy?"

"Of course! I'll even get some different ones for you to try," Kagome mimicked with equal excitement.

[:::]

The walk to the ice-cream shop was short, but cool. It was late summer, and the weather had taken a quicker approach to a lower temperature than she had expected. Luckily she had bundled Aimi well enough to keep her warm, but she herself was not so fortunate. The light sweater and casual business skirt barely kept the goose bumps at bay. She vigorously rubbed her palm along the wool on her arm, while holding Aimi's dainty fingers in her other free hand.

"Let's go to the park first, Mommy, that one over there!" the child pointed. It was a park that she had gone to plenty of times, but it was the middle of the afternoon, so it was much busier than normal.

"I don't know Aimi, there are so many people. You know Mommy gets nervous around large crowds," Kagome's voice was wary as she answered.

"I'll protect you, Mommy, I promise," her daughter proclaimed proudly. Her determined expression, with crossed brows formed into a not-so-threatening 'scowl', was so cute Kagome couldn't say no. They crossed the street, and walked to the bustling playground. Swings and teeter-totters were in full action, while a slew of children played tag around a merry-go-round.

The air was filled with musical mash of youths' giggles and squeals. Aimi quickly joined into a game of tag with the other children playing, while her mother looked around for a secluded park bench or picnic table. Somewhere that she could seat herself at without being bothered by the other patrons would be preferable. Sighting a small cement table at the further end of the park, she decided that was where she would sit.

"Aimi, come here for a moment," she called. Her voice was only another noise among the current of screams and whistles, clattering of playground equipment, and the unnaturally loud nature sounds. However, without an issue, Aimi still heard her and ran quickly to her mother's side.

"You see that table over there," she said as the girl came within range, "I'm going to be sitting over there. Don't go out of my sight."

"I won't, Mommy, I need to be around you anyways, so I can protect you from bad guys!" she declared. As she did so, she once again donned her best expression of 'fierce determination', with her tiny hands balled in fists before her. Kagome giggled, and pat the girl on the head. She sent her off to play again, and kept her eye on her while she crossed the park to the table which would be her haven.

Several adults gave her smiles as she walked by them, her face returning the gesture out of courtesy, while she did her best to avoid conversation. However, she did eventually get caught by a crowd of women she knew from the grocery store, or other local areas. She gave her best attempts to look casual and not uncomfortable talking with them; although, any person with a brain could have seen her unease.

Her eyes would dart from side to side as she felt the world closing around her, as the crowds seemed to pull nearer to her body. Her claustrophobia caused her palms to sweat, and her forced smile shifted into a grimace. Her weight was switching feet from her nervous shuffling, but the other women continued to drawl on about their insipid lives, unaware of her obvious distress. Her hands had just begun to wring at her clutch handbag when her 'protector' came to the rescue.

"Mommy, I need to pee, _real_ bad!" she emphasized her point, grabbing her mother's hand, and dancing for effect.

"Oh, will you excuse me? Thanks," she said casually to the gaggle of women, leading her daughter away.

"See Mommy, I told you I'd protect you," her daughter gazed up to her, love filling her eyes.

"You're so nice to your Mommy," Kagome said sweetly. She picked up the girl, and twirled her around in the air, before bringing the child down to her lips for a quick kiss on the cheek.

"Look, now you're at the safe place! Will you be ok?"

"I am now, go have fun," she said, as the girl nodded, and ran off to play with the other children once more.

Now that Kagome had a decent view of the park, without the suffocating mobs, she was actually able to sit back and enjoy her time. She really did like taking Aimi to the park, the fresh air, beautiful scenery, and lively attitude was perfect. A great atmosphere for the young girl, and herself, to help them both learn to be independent and strong.

There were large assortments of different people at the park: youkai and human families, single parents, and teenagers. There seemed to be a little bit of everything, and Kagome's eye caught on a young couple snuggled on a bench, watching their young son play. He must have been adopted as well, because the parents were human, but their child was a small Kitsune, probably at least five or six years old. Aimi had taken a liking to the young Fox, and initiated a game of tag with him, leading him on a quickly paced chase throughout the playground.

Soon enough she lead him over to Kagome, intent on introducing her new friend. His bright green eyes were shinning, and his flaming red hair was a distinct contrast to the parks forest tones. Through a custom hole in his britches, a little poof of a tail bounced behind him. Aimi looked back at the fluff with longing, as she pulled him by the hand over to her mothers table.

"Mommy, look, I made a new friend. He's starting school with me next week," she sang, her voice perky and proud.

"Oh really, and what's your name young man," Kagome questioned.

"Shippo, Mam'," he said shyly. He turned his head downward, and began to fiddle in the dirt with his bare toe.

"I see your daughter, and our son seem to have taken a liking to each other," hummed a voice from several feet behind the children. Kagome looked up to see the couple she had examined earlier, looking at her with kind expressions. Her nerves began to build in her chest, but as if they already knew, they took a seat on the far side of her table, giving her the needed space she desired.

"Yes, it seems they have," she responded respectfully. "I'm Kagome; it's nice to meet you. I guess our children will be schooling together soon as well."

"Oh is that so Shippo? How nice it must be to make a friend even before you make it to the classroom," the young man said. "It is definitely a pleasure to meet you ,Miss Kagome. My name is Miroku Takata, and this is my beautiful bride, Sango."

The small group exchanged pleasant conversation, and Kagome quickly realize how much she enjoyed their company. Before too long the couple mentioned they needed to leave, so they exchanged phone numbers to set up possible play dates. Aimi blushed, and hugged Shippo as he was lead away from the table. Once they were out of sight she looked back at her mother, smiling like a little fool.

"Well, you really liked that boy, didn't you Aimi," Kagome teased.

"Did you see his tail Mommy? I want a tail!" Aimi said with awe, her hands clasped over her heart. "We're going to be friends, and get married, he already said so."

"Oh, did he now," she responded, with a quirked eyebrow. "Well, I guess I had better start saving money for that wedding, shouldn't I?"

"No Mommy, you need to get married first, I can't get married if I don't have a daddy," she said coolly. "You can put an ad in the newspaper. Like you did when we needed a couch."

"I'll get right on that, kiddo," she blew out her breath, "why don't you go back and play a bit more." Aimi took her suggestion, and flew back into the midst of all the other children, and hopped onto a merry-go-round.

Kagome mused about her daughter's notion, was Aimi already missing on the presence of a father figure? She hadn't even thought of other men since Hojo. Sure their marriage wasn't perfect, but it was the only relationship she had ever had, and it ended horribly. First with the divorce, and now the only man she ever loved was gone from this world. She didn't even know where to start looking for another man, let alone a relationship that could possibly end with another marriage.

Hell, would she even want to get married again? Of course, she did. If for nothing else, Aimi needed a dad, but she couldn't just pluck any man off the street. Good men don't just fall out of the sky.

"Ahhhhh, loooook out belooooow!" she heard a scream followed by a loud thud on the ground next to her. Looking back over her shoulder, there was a man, face down, lying in the dirt. She heard him grumbling, and started to pull himself off the ground.

"What on earth just happened to you!" she gushed, as she ran to his side. The poor guy just got flattened; she had to make sure he was alright. "Did you get hurt anywhere? Is there something I can do to help?"

"Keh, I'm fine. Just a fall," he said gruffly, dusting himself off. Kagome guided him over to her table, although he seemed a bit resistant at first, so he could sit and rest. He was tall, with a lean muscular frame; he was definitely attractive, but that wasn't what drew her attention. He was of youkai blood, at least to some degree; his hair was a similar fair shade to her daughters, with the same golden eyes. On the crest of his head sat two perky ears, twitching wildly at all of the noise within the area. Why did they remind her of puppy dog ears?

"No big deal!" she screamed, "You just fell out of the... out of the? Well, you just fell from somewhere, and where ever it was, it was pretty high!"

"Ugh. Woman, your yelling hurts worse than the fall did. I only fell out of the tree up there," he gestured at the tall tree above her. It had several large branches, that if you could reach them, they would be easy to rest upon. And, did he just call her 'Woman'? "A squirrel woke me, and I wasn't expecting it, no reason to get all... worked up..." he stuttered his last words when he saw her face.

She felt an odd pooling of heat in her stomach at his intense gaze, and looked away when he started to lightly shake his head, and finished dusting himself off.

"Keh, I can't believe I'm asking this. Kikyo Itou, you didn't know of her by chance, did you?" he ventured, his voice seemed a bit shy, and less gruff. "You *ahem* just look a little like her."

"Ah, no I'm sorry, I don't," she said slowly. The name sounded familiar, but she couldn't place it, so she certainly never met the woman. It was odd that he would say something like that, since she was having similar thoughts of _him_ looking like a certain little girl. "What exactly were you doing in that tree? If you don't mind me asking."

He smirked at her, "Checking out the new recruits."

"Er,.. alright. That's an odd answer," she whispered skeptically.

He only lifted a shoulder in response, not really acknowledging her. After he finished brushing off his pants and shirt, he leaned back heavily into the bench; closing his eyes, appearing as if he would go back to sleep. Was he really going to sit there and ignore her?

"So, are you from around here?" she questioned lightly. She may as well make conversation, since he didn't seem to be leaving.

"I am now," he muttered. "I've lived here for a while now."

He turned his head, and lifted a single eye lid to see her. She wasn't doing anything in particular; only sitting slouched on the bench, resting her beating heart. She was still slightly shocked at his abrupt appearance.

"What about you? From around here?" he ventured, and then turned his attention away from her, back to the kids playing.

"A couple years, but I only moved here after college," she answered. "I like it. It's quiet, and the people are polite." He didn't respond; instead content to sit next to her, seemingly numb to the world. Her gaze scanned his face, memorizing his handsome facade. There were relaxed lines marring his features, which could only have been caused by constantly knit brows. Had he spent his entire life scowling? He seemed peaceful enough now, how long would he have needed to frown to form such creases? He looked too young to have known enough sadness to scar his face in such a way. She knew better though, as a youkai, he could be thousands of years old.

He had probably lived through the assimilation of youkai into human society. From what she knew, it was an ugly time in history. There was a great deal of bloodshed, and hardship for both sides. Youkai had their extended life spans and supernatural abilities. Humans had destructive, flesh destroying weapons and numbers. The war only lasted several years, but the battles were still brutal and horrid. It wasn't until a woman of great spiritual power stepped forth as a peacemaker that the war had ended. Youkai happily laid down arms, and humans gratefully backed down. It still took many years afterwards for youkai to be fully accepted, but in the end, they were able to live a peaceful existence with humans.

"What are you starin' at?" she torn out of her thoughts by his gruff grunt. He was eyeing her suspiciously; the scowl that she had imagined was firmly in place and his arms were crossed defiantly. Well, maybe the youkai was just irritable.

"Mommy, is this man bothering you?" Aimi's familiar voice entered the fray. The girl came to stand before her, protectively growling at the man pestering her mother. He looked at her with interest; Kagome saw his nose twitching slightly, as his eyebrows rose up into the cover of his hair.

"You know, I gotta get outta here. It was nice to meet you, Mrs...?" he said quickly, standing and backing away from the 'threat'. The frown that he had given her had been replaced by a fetching grin; his hands had been raised in a placating manner. At least he liked kids. Why was she feeling so warm all the sudden?

"Kagome Higurashi," she grinned at the weird man who fell out of the tree. Oh! Maybe he would want to go out sometime, he was cute after all.

"Okay," he said simply, and dashed away from them, it seemed as quickly as he could.

"How rude, I gave him my name, but he didn't give me his. And then he just ran off without as much as a goodbye," she sneered to herself with a huff. Alright, maybe he didn't want to go out. What a first class jerk! Well, it wasn't like she wanted to go out with him either or anything like that. Even if he was a tall, handsome, youkai man...

"Mommy, that man smelled nice," Aimi said rubbing her nose, smiling behind her hand. "Was he your boyfriend?"

"Ha, no, I just met him," Kagome chuckled, glancing sidelong at the empty place on the bench. Now she felt so empty, why was that?

"Oh. Well are you going to see him again?" she said in a hopeful tone.

"Probably not, why do you ask?" Kagome asked, finding her interest in the man amusing.

"It's not important, I just like him," her daughter shrugged. That was an odd response, what was that supposed to mean? She couldn't contemplate her words long, because she was being tugged forward, "I'm ready for ice-cream Mommy."

"Alright, what flavors are you going to get?"

The little girl placed a finger on her lips, _thinking_ very hard about such an important decision. Kagome giggled as Aimi smiled brightly at her, before proudly stating, "All of them!"

* * *

**[~A:|:N~]**

**4011**

**_Vocab Time!_**

_Youkai - is a term mostly associated with Japanese folk creatures and ghosts; Mystical beings._

_Hanyou - a being who is one part youkai, and one part human. Half - youkai._

_Ice-Cream - a delicious treat! ._

So, what did you think? More details will flow in as the story goes.

Anyways, I hope you guys thought the first chapter was interesting enough to want to read the next one.

- Foayasha

Note: There was some confusion on the location of the story - so just to clear this up - this story is based in a US town. Not in Japan. Thankya!


	3. The guy who fell out of the tree

My Girl

by Foayasha

_Disclaimer: The epic of Inuyasha, while wonderful, does not belong to me. Thus I cannot, and do not, claim to own any of the characters in this short story... sadly, that includes the two who like to go jogging together._

_ShagstheDustmop – thanks again for being such a great beta!_

**My Girl Chpt 2 – The guy who fell out of the tree**

* * *

When he got home that afternoon he went straight to his closet and pulled out a small shoebox. Its appearance seemed tattered, and uncared for, but it held more memories than the rest of his belongings combined. He carried the worn out cardboard to his kitchen table and lifted the top. A few odds and ends were reveled from within, including several photos gracing the top of the pile. There was a girl in the images who looked faintly like the woman from the park this afternoon. In most of the photographs she was standing next to him holding his hand: Kikyo.

Sure, the girl in the photo had fairer skin than the Higurashi girl had, and her hair seemed more of a brown-black, where the younger girl's gleamed blue. If he recalled correctly, Kikyo was a bit taller as well, but in general those details were superficial. The biggest difference were in their expressions; their very aura. In his memories, she was always sad. Her brown eyes always reflected a bit of disappointment; how often had she really smiled? When he told her he loved her, or when he held her close? At those times she may have seemed calm, or serene, but cheerful or filled with joy? Such expressions were foreign to her.

Kagome, on the other hand, seemed to blossom with spirit and liveliness. He could tell the moment she rushed to his side, with the exuberance of a school girl (and he would know), there was something special within her. Her entire being was a beacon of light, shining brighter than he had ever seen before. Living life to its fullest must have been the same as breathing to her soul.

Ka go me...

Golden eyes softened at the thought of her name. He had done his best to not seem out of the ordinary while they were together. Well, the best he could after falling out of a tree. Maybe he had gone a little into left field at his attempt. Didn't he accuse her of staring at him? A smirk crossed his lips and he failed to notice how his face softened at the memory of meeting the young woman. He felt so at peace when she sat next to him, how could one random woman have such an effect on him.

Random, could he call her that? Maybe if he hadn't noticed how much she looked like Kikyo.

He briskly tossed his head, breathing deep, attempting to move away from those thoughts. How could he muse about this woman so blissfully? It was disrespectful to his past lover, _and_ this woman he barely knew. The only reason he even paid her any attention was because of her resemblance to Kikyo. _Right?_ Would she have had the same effect on him if she didn't resemble her? Oh well, no reason to worry about it, he would probably never see the woman again.

Why did that make him feel lonelier than he did a moment ago?

He couldn't think about being with someone who was so like his past love, even if he had moved past the relationship._ Could he?_ Of course he couldn't. He couldn't even think about _being_ with a woman that he just met. There are normally procedures that go in between gathering a name, and mating; at least there are now. Was that what he wanted? Gods he was so confused, where were all of these thoughts coming from? He needed to rid his mind of this woman. She could be a lesbian for all he knew, all bets are off at that point.

It just seemed wrong, considering the details of the past. He still has some fond memories of his relationship with Kikyo; she _was_ his first real love. He kept a special place in his heart for her, but they had mutually decided to split up and go their separate ways. They knew it wasn't meant to be, and although he was sad to see it end, he was also excited to begin again.

He thought back to his last memory of her, a little more than five years since that 'encounter'. He learned a good lesson that night: just because you weren't 'together' when you showed up, doesn't mean that you won't 'get together' after fifteen or so Jager-bombs. The next evening, when they finally woke up, they both agreed it was a mistake; so they parted once more, without expectations, or hard feelings. That was the last he ever saw of her, and his only word that she still existed was from rumors, and gossip, but who can really trust it.

In the end he could say he wanted her to be happy, and he had heard that she was engaged, but he wasn't sure to whom. He truly was glad for her, and had hoped to find the same happiness for himself. Kikyo was a wonderful part of his life, but that was all she could be anymore, a part. A part that he had since moved forward from; if she had lived, she would have done the same.

[~~~~~]

3 Years Earlier

"Takahashi. Who's this?" He answered his phone candidly.

_"Inuyasha? It's Kaede, remember me? Kikyo's sister_," he heard the unfamiliar voice on the other end of the line. She didn't seem happy.

"Yeah, I recall. What's this about?" he questioned. What did Kikyo's sister have to call him about?

_"I just wanted to let you know, since I knew you and Kikyo were very close at one time,"_ she began, but he heard her choked sob. What was going on? She sighed, and sniffed, _"I just wanted to let you know that Kikyo passed away this week."_

"What? Passed away," he whispered, almost as if it weren't possible. Kikyo... Had died? He held his head down, dejected and mournful. "May I ask what happened?"

_"She was donating a kidney,"_ she began, and he could hear her smile a bit as she continued. _"You know how generous she always was. During the procedure there was a scuffle in the main lobby; there was a gun. When the man ran, he found himself in the hall next to where her surgery was proceeding." _She stopped for a moment, attempting to catch her breath between hiccupping sobs,_ "I was there when it happened. A shot went off, and cleared the wall into her room. They say that it was instant, and that she wouldn't have felt any pain, since she was already under anesthesia."_ Her broken sobbing finished her statement, while he sat silently.

"Thank you for calling me, Kaede," he said gruffly, attempting to cloud his sadness. "Take care of yourself."

_"You do the same."_

[~~~~~]

When he learned of her death, he grieved for the only woman he had ever loved. She had lived a tough life, and he was sad to see her hard work thrown in the gutter. At least she was in a better place now.

Sighing at the depressing thoughts he was bringing up from his past and the confusing ones from earlier, he casually tossed the photos back into the box. Even though he knew Kikyo wasn't the one, he hadn't truly been able to say he had found better. The other 'romances' he tried out, if they could even be called that, were shallow.

It was a mystery to him how he always seemed to attract the worst sort of women, time never changing their selfish desires. Some of the girls he met were plain gold diggers, through some obscure channel had learned he had a decent inheritance. Well, he wasn't Scrooge McDuck, but he didn't really _need_ to work.

Oh, but it only gets better; he would even get females seeking a powerful youkai for a mate. At first he thought they had weird youkai fetishes, but then it would turn into something more sinister. What were they thinking? It wasn't like they lived in the Sengoku Jidai; he couldn't just waltz into a town and kill the headmaster. Maybe they thought he was the leader of some youkai mafia, bent on uprising, soon to take over the world. The imbeciles didn't even realize that as a hanyou, most full youkai didn't even recognize him on the same plane of existence.

The best of the bad were the women wanting a trophy husband. Really? Having great hair and rock hard abs doesn't automatically put him into the 'beautiful man' category... did it? What did they expect him to do? Clean their pools in only a loin cloth? Bend over to pick up the 'fallen' remote control? Chop wood unnecessarily in the front lawn while shirtless?

They were stupid wenches, the lot of em'; he could see through their ploys from the beginning. If he couldn't find a woman who would be as good for him as Kikyo had been, he wasn't going to waste his time. Going one step forward three steps back wasn't appealing in the least, it was downright illogical.

Feeling some odd urge, he rummaged around the box a few more minutes, digging at the odds and ends that it held; some of them were worn children toys, which he assumed were centuries old. There were several old letters that his father had written to his mother. As well as a few pictures of Sesshoumaru dangling him by the neck at their beach estate while he clung to him for dear life. Fond memories.

He scowled at a pair of small gleaming discs resting in the corner of the box. When his parents died, Sesshoumaru took most of the possessions and had them auctioned off; most except for a pair of swords, and a couple personal items. He was given Tessaiga, as a memory of his father, and a set of jewelry as a reminder of his mother. He weighed the discs in his hand, while admiring the craftsmanship. On the face of each was a picture of a white dog, a youkai seal, indicating Inu heritage.

Growling he remembered his mother wearing the entire set, but here he held what he had left of the now _incomplete _set. A piece was missing, and he had no clues as to where it had been misplaced. How could he have lost something so special? He felt like a fool, and it was just another reminder of some of his life failures.

He stood from the table, and walked to the cupboards, to pick out his selection of ramen for the evening. Afterwards he would need to start his lesson plans for work. He chuckled at that thought. Whenever he mused about his profession, it was humorous to him (and really, anyone else who knew him). Who would have ever thought that _he_, self-proclaimed 'worlds toughest hanyou', would end up as a kindergarten teacher.

[:::]

Inuyasha climbed out of his car, and walked eagerly toward the teachers' entrance of the school. He had been in several days previous, getting all of his lesson plans in order, cleaning up his room, and adding a few items he had picked up over his break. Today was the first day of his new class, but this was his smallest group as of yet. He only had fifteen kids, and only two of them were youkai, all the others were human. He preferred it when he had at least a handful of youkai, hanyou or hanpa* students in his class.

After getting a mug of coffee, and exchanging a few words with other faculty members, he headed made his way to the lounge exit. He stopped short when he noticed that his mail box, which was normally pretty empty, had several items in it already. One in particular catching his attention: a note from the principle. It was alerting him to a student transfer from another class into his. Apparently the distribution was uneven, and they needed to spread them out.

[~~~]

Mr. Takahashi,

We are migrating several students from Mr. Suikotsu's class, due to the accidental overload he was given. For your class we will be adding Aimi Akitoki. Your attendance sheet has been amended for the day. The change will be permanent as of tomorrow.

Please notice, the girl's mother said she was tested for youkai blood at birth, but they came back negative. She is not sure of the girl's lineage, and has doubts of her full human blood.

Thank you for your cooperation,  
Principle Myoga Theflea

[~~~]

Well, that's odd. The parent doesn't know if the girl has youkai blood or not? She was either really wasted when she got knocked up, or the child was adopted. Is the mother worried about it? If she was tested at birth, that means the mother, or father, had concerns.

Damn, he didn't need this sort of parent. Prejudice was far from common anymore, but he still got his fair share. If this mother was going to give him trouble, it would be a pain, but he wasn't going to put up with it.

Later that morning the students began to file into class. He welcomed parents into the room, most of them very pleasant, and the others just seemed indifferent. He even had the pleasure of instructing his brother's adopted daughter, Rin. Sesshoumaru was very specific when addressing the girl, never calling her his daughter. He would instead only refer to her as 'his ward'. When he stopped by the class he told him to take the best care of her, or death and pain would soon follow for him. He followed that up with a comment about how his occupation and blood were an insult to his Inu heritage. That was just the sort of brotherly love he had learned to expect from him.

He only had one full youkai student, Shippo Takata, who was also adopted. This was one of the boys he remembered seeing at the park. He had yet to show up, but he was a Kitsune, which made Inuyasha cringe at the thought of his last Kitsune student. The illusions and tricks the runt played on him had his head ready to explode. In the old days he would have just pummeled the kit in the head, but that was hardly allowed any longer.

His other youkai student, Shiori, was a hanyou like himself. When she arrived, her grandfather seemed nice enough, but he got the feeling the old _bat_ wasn't as nice as he seemed. The girl was quiet, and she obediently took her seat once she was directed to it. Her polite attitude in class would be nice, but at the same time he felt it would be good for her to make some new friends. Learning that she was welcomed and wanted would be good for her self-esteem.

Most of his human students were similar to others that he had before, with varying personalities, a mix of girls and boys. Most of them were playing at various volumes within the classrooms desks, and mats. He watched them carefully, letting them play until all of his students arrived. Class wasn't scheduled to start until nine, and it was still at least fifteen minutes before.

Checking away at his attendance sheet, he glanced at the name 'Akitoki, Aimi'; it had been scribbled next to the neatly printed names of his other students. This child was still nowhere to be found, but that could be easily explained. Her parents thought she was in a different class; they were probably searching for the wrong room.

He frowned that he would probably need to hunt for the Akitoki's, but he couldn't leave his class unattended. As luck would have it though, the kindergarten and first grade all shared one intern, who was currently passing by.

"Hey, wolf breath," he called to the Ookami who was walking down the hall. He was just a college student who was doing his teaching internship, but he liked to tease him. "Keep an eye on my class; I think I'm missing someone who might be walking around the halls."

Koga glared at him as entered the room, but took a seat patiently at his desk; without another word Inuyasha went out into the school halls in search of his missing student. As he walked through his classroom door, Shippo, his Kitsune pupil, came scampering in. He was followed closely by his parents. Inuyasha actually knew Miroku, and he greeted him properly. The two men jogged the same route each morning, and had become decent friends.

After the Takata's had left, he went back into the hallway, only to find it had been blocked by several large tables. Lines had formed in front of each and were manned by pairs of parents handing out leaflets; the notorious PTA doing signups for all the new children to the school district.

Through the murmuring of the gathered adults, he could hear a small pleading voice; a child calling to someone in a distressed tone. Whoever it was, they were beyond the crowd of people who were busy signing paperwork, or casually mingling like the nosey parents in the town seemed to enjoy. He pushed past the mob, and looked around, straining his ears for the child that drew his attention.

"Mommy, we need to go inside," he heard a young girl say, in a patient, yet nervous voice. "I'll protect you, I swear Mommy. I don't want to be late for class. My friend said if I'm late, the teacher will eat me."

He rolled his eyes at her unnecessary paranoia, but smiled at the idea of a young girl protecting her mother. It reminded him of the child from the park the other day; the one who had shooed him away. As a matter of fact, it was meeting that hanpa in particular which solidified his choice to leave the park that day, despite wanting to stay a bit longer with the Higurashi woman. The child's scent was odd to him, and the fact that she had the family traits of his blood made him extremely uncomfortable. Once again, shaking off the troublesome thoughts, he moved forward to find the girl he had heard.

Directly outside of the doors to the school stood a woman, bundled in a burgundy dress coat, leaning against the wall. Her back was to him, with a shoulder resting heavily on the brick of the school. The young girl had one of her hands clasped in her mothers, gently tugging at her, requesting that they go into the school.

The girl had a hat covering her head, and her hair had been tucked into the back of her own light blue puffy coat. He pushed open the doorway, and walked over to the pair.

"Is there a problem here?" he asked calmly. The girl didn't let her face turn to him when she replied.

"My Mommy doesn't like lots of people, it makes her very scared," she replied sadly. He could hear the worried tone in her voice, making him almost feel sorry for the huddling woman.

"Are you trying to get into the school? Are you here for class young lady?" he attempted to get some information out of the girl; otherwise she might have been stuck out here forever it seemed. Her mother just stood frozen to the wall. Was she even awake? Maybe she was able to pass out, and still remain upright.

"This is so embarrassing, I'm so sorry," the woman disproved his earlier thought. "Yes, my daughter is here for her first day of school, but I can't go in the building. I took one look at that crowd, and panicked."

"Alright, I can take you in another entrance," he replied, attempting to relieve the situation. "One that isn't in a direct path of the PTA sign-ups. What class is your daughter in?"

"She's in Mr. Suikotsu's class," she said shakily, still leaning heavily on the wall of the school. "Would you really mind taking us?"

"Not at all, I'm on staff here," he replied, turning around to lead her into the school, "Just follow me."

He led them to the side entrance of the school, on the other side of the playground, the exit the teachers for the first grade used to go for recess. He opened the doorway, and two swiftly made their way into the building, both of their faces still shrouded. He noticed that their scents were somewhat familiar, but with all of the trips he had made to the park recently, he could have seen them there before.

"Suikotsu's room is just this way," he said, again taking the lead. Only a moment later, they came to the doorway. His breath hitched in his throat when the woman removed her daughter's hat, finally standing up straight, and facing him directly. It was the woman from the park the other day, and her daughter.

"Mrs. Higurashi, I didn't even recognize you," he said with a smile. He knew he shouldn't be so excited to see her again, but he was. She still appeared to be extremely distressed from her troubles earlier, and hadn't noticed his excitement.

"Ahh, the guy who fell out of the tree, stalking kids again are you?" she said in a cold tone. Stony eyes locked onto his when she answered, crossing her arms haughtily.

The hell? What's her damn problem?

"Keh… not exactly," he answered equally cold. "I told you, I'm a teacher here. I go to the park on certain days to see potential new students."

"No, you said you're on staff," She quipped dryly, never losing her skeptical glare, "Are you sure you aren't a janitor, or possibly a bus driver?"

"Let's go with no," he replied unimpressed. "This is your stop. You can take the same exit when you're ready to leave." He turned without waiting for her reply, deciding to return to his class. He had just helped the wench, but instead of being grateful, she called him… a janitor. Well, he didn't need to waste his time with PMSing women anyways. Maybe the Akitoki girl had made it in while he was helping the Higurashis.

Once he got back into his room, Koga was fiddling with some of the toys he had sitting on his desk. After swatting the Ookami in the head, he let him excuse himself. While he was walking out, Inuyasha heard him making some sort of conversation right outside his door, which he ignored. Taking stock of his class, he saw two minutes remained before school would begin. Aimi had yet to show up, so he would probably need to mark the girl as absent.

Only a moment later, there was another knock at his open door. He looked over to see Kagome, who was standing behind her daughter, unbundled at this point. She had worn a pair of sleek jeans, and a casual t-shirt, giving her a laid back look. High contrast to his suit pants, tie and collared shirt. What he would give to be able to dress casually at work. Her hair was down, framing her lovely heart shaped face, which was accented with a sheepish smile. She was beautiful, he had to admit.

"Mr. Takahashi," she began coyly, "I'm sorry to have put the run around on you, but my daughter seems to be your missing student."

"No, I don't have a Higurashi in my class," he stated in monotone, still feeling a bit irritated by her put off demeanor earlier.

"I understand, but that isn't her name. This is my daughter, Aimi Akitoki," she finished with a smile. Had she forgotten that she called him a _janitor_ a few minutes ago? Well at least she was proud of her daughter, and had a good healthy relationship, which made him happy.

Inuyasha showed Aimi to her desk, and stared to walk back to his own. Her mother walked over to him before he started his class, to ask him quickly if he knew of her 'special case'.

"What do you mean, 'special case', Mrs. Higurashi," he huffed, attempting to not sound insulted.

"I just mean that I haven't had her tested since she was adopted, but I'm fairly positive one of her natural parents was hanyou, if not youkai," she said plainly. She didn't seem to have any sort of affliction to the idea, but she still felt it necessary to point it out. So what if her daughter was part youkai, what difference did it make?

"Well, I had better be off. Have a good day, darling," she said sweetly to her daughter, before exiting his class.

* * *

**[~A:|:N~]**

**4108**

**_Vocab Time!_**

**_Ookami _**_– Wolf_

**_*Hanpa _**_– Fragment, or Incompleteness [This term will be used to describe those who are ¼ youkai or less.]_

**_special case - _**_Something you don't call your 5 year old daughter ^_^_

Inuyasha's POV… man that isn't easy to write. I want to say 'Keh' before everything he says, lol. Because that's just how I imagine him acting, always so defensive.

- Foayasha


	4. That's the dog I want

My Girl

by Foayasha

_Disclaimer: The epic of Inuyasha, while wonderful, does not belong to me. Thus I cannot, and do not, claim to own any of the characters in this short story... but, I'll take credit for the one who makes the ocean 'moo'._

Thanks also goes to Shagsthedustmop for beta-ing this thang ^_^

**My Girl Chpt 3 – That's the dog I want**

* * *

It isn't hard to do. Just pull the lever. The door will swing open, allowing you to exit the automobile. Walk up to the school, into the classroom, and retrieve your daughter. It really shouldn't be this difficult.

Kagome's body was frozen in place, her dead stare facing forward, as her hands cinched the steering wheel in a death grip. No matter how many times she went over the simple steps it would take to get in and out of the school, she could not budge from her position.

Inside the doors of the seemingly innocent elementary school were troves of children. All of them would be running about the halls, screaming and rushing at her. Not only that, but she would have to face Aimi's sexy boorish teacher again. That morning she had bristled at his tone, but did her best to keep it under wraps.

For some reason he didn't seem to like her. Was it because she had not believed his claim to be a teacher at the school? Well that could be a cause, because she would have been insulted if someone had done the same to her. Well, who cares anyways? Did he forget their initial meeting? He had asked for her name, and she politely gave it; afterwards he left her high and dry: no name, no goodbye, nothing. Prick.

Whining pathetically to herself, she hung her head in defeat. No matter her grievances against the small hallways of the school, or Mr. Takahashi, Kagome would need to walk _into_ his classroom to pick up Aimi from her first day. At least here soon she would be able to pick her up at the curb, and avoid the entire issue all together.

She prepared herself, doing several breathing exercises, while mumbling the chant, 'little kids aren't scary', and then exited her car. The final bus had arrived several minutes ago, so she knew most students would be out of the way.

The hallways weren't exactly empty, but they were more than manageable for the woman, and she was eternally grateful to the powers that be. Careful to walk softly down the hall, she approached the classroom door. Her footfalls were quiet on the tile flooring, and she felt as if she had succeeded in sneaking up to peek around the corner of the doorway.

Aimi and her teacher were the only two remaining, which made her feel a bit guilty for being so late. When she walked through the doorway his eyes had already risen to meet her own, and she shrank at the animosity that they held. How could he look so good, yet so mean at the same time? Unaware of the awkward tension, Aimi began her dash to wrap her arms securely around her mother's legs.

"You know, the Kindergarten class gets out fifteen minutes before the rest of the school?" Her teacher sneered.

"I'm terribly sorry, I've been waiting in my car for at least half an hour, if I had realized, I could have picked her up earlier," she frowned. Yeah, this guy didn't like her. "Aimi, did you have anything to bring home today?"

"Yes Mommy, lots and lots of papers! And I drawled you a picture!" she said excitedly. After her daughter skipped away Mr. Takahashi walked up to her with a stern effect on his chiseled features.

"You know, I'm not going to beat around the bush here, Mrs. Higurashi," he began plainly, but very quietly. "If you have a problem with youkai, I don't know if this is the best school for you, or your daughter. We have an open policy, and don't tolerate prejudice within its walls."

Er... what? She was appalled at his insinuation. Her jaw was only kept from gaping due to her insane feeling of shock. How on earth could this incredibly attractive and intimidating man think she would have any problem with youkai? She was nearly positive her own daughter was at least part youkai, how could she feel anything negatively about them?

"Excuse me?" was all she could manage, and meekly at that. His proximity was making her a little weak in the knees, which befuddled her mind beyond reason. Even Hojo never made her feel like this.

"I believe you heard me," the hanyou teacher growled, "you made such a grand point about it. You notified the school, including me, of your _concerns _with her possible heritage. I can only assume it's because you are ashamed and worried about what it would look like for you to have a hanpa in your family. If you have a problem with us, this really isn't the place for you or your daughter," he said, his voice terribly cold, and full of disgust. _From a kindergarten teacher, of all people._

"Mr. Takahashi," she drawled sarcastically, with half lidded eyes, seeping annoyance. Her previous positive feelings towards the man forgotten; replaced with ones of bitterness. "Do you know what it means to _assume_* something? I don't know where you would even come up with these accusations. My _own_ daughter may be part youkai, and you think I could bear her ill-will? I love her!" she professed with conviction.

"Despite her blood?" he spat back at her. She watched him as a snide smirk appeared on his face, "Of course, she's only an adopted daughter, right?"

"And what _exactly_ is that supposed to mean, Mr. Takahashi?" she scoffed back, her distaste for the man increasing incredibly. He was out right challenging her affections for her daughter. The desire to dispute his previous comment lost in her fury. She could have his job for acting so insolent.

He kept his eyes on her for a moment as he turned his attention to Aimi. The small girl was tucking away her last few items, carefully eyeing the two bickering adults. He must have felt guilty for allowing himself to get so out of hand in front of one of his students. It was his problem though; he was the one who started this issue to begin with. She saw him sigh, and attempt to rein in his own anger. He was flushed, like her, and his breathing seemed rasp.

"Even without 'tests' I can tell that Aimi is no doubt part youkai. I think you need to decide how you truly feel about that, and make your final choice on if this is the school you want her to attend," he finished. As the gawking statue she had become, she could only watch in silence as he picked up his items at the front of the door, and walked out. She could hear his distant, cold call as he walked down the hall, "Shut the door on the way out." She thought he may have said something else, but it was too far out of her range.

She stood sputtering muffled obscenities with all of her frustration overshadowing any coherent thought. That bastard didn't even wait long enough for her to yell at him. Yet another encounter with the odd, and obviously rude, man who fell out of the tree. This was just great. Now she was positive the man probably hated her, and even more so after this outburst. Well, at least it was clear as to why; because he's an idiot.

"Mommy," Aimi looked up at Kagome who was frozen in place, partially due to shock, partially due to anger. She shook her head, as if erasing her irritation would work like an etch-a-sketch. She looked down to see Aimi fidgeting at her side, tugging at her shirt.

"Humm, do you need to pee? Why are you jumping around like that?" she question, taking the girls hand to lead her out of the room.

"NO! Mommy, gosh!" The girl said embarrassed. "I just wanted to know what a 'wench' was."

"It's a bad name for a girl, why do you ask?" she said absently.

"Because that's what Mr. Takahashi said as he left the room," she explained. Doing her best to mimic her teachers gruff tone, "Shut the door on the way out, _wench_."

Kagome balled her fist in front of her chest, a frightening scowl upon her expression, "Jerk! Why that dirty, little, dog eared... *grumble grumble*," she fumed.

"You can't say that in school," her daughter laughed. "I'll get him the next time he calls you a name. Even if he's my teacher, he can't say mean things about my Mommy."

[:::]

The drive home was quiet, as the two girls thought about the events of the day. Aimi focused on her first day of school, which she had thoroughly explained, much to Kagome's despair. Of course she wanted to know every detail about her daughters first day of school. However, that also meant she had to hear about her obnoxious teacher. Her day pretty much amounted to Mr. Takahashi this, or Mr. Takahashi that. The girl would catch herself occasionally, and amend portions of her story, and she was grateful for that. From what she had said, he actually sounded like a decent guy. If only he didn't jump to conclusions about her family, and act like an asshole.

She pulled into the driveway of their home, and opened her car door to exit. After doing so, Aimi swiftly followed her onto her side of the car, tracking dirt onto the driver side seat. Kagome rolled her eyes at her daughter's tendency, and casually brushed the dirt to the floor.

"Aimi, hang up your coat, and straighten up your room. When you're finished you can play out back. I have some files I need to work on before dinner," Kagome called to her now missing child. She expected that Aimi was already working on organizing her plethora of dolls, ponies, and stuffed animals. She was a typical little girl, except that she could lift her twin bed right off the floor.

*THUD BAROOPMH*

"Aimi! Don't drop the bed!" Kagome called from her desk. Her computer was still on, with an in progress sketch displaying on the monitor.

"Sorry, Mommy!" her daughter called back. Only moments later the thundering of running feet came around the corner of the hall, and dashed through the living room, past the study, into the kitchen, only leaving the sound of a slamming screen door in its wake.

A smile appeared on Kagome's face as she stood from her work to check on her daughter's room. Occasionally she would just push all of her toys under her bed. Scolding her several times finally put an end to that behavior; though it was better to be safe than sorry. The last time she _had_ used that shortcut, a half eaten peach got lost underneath there. Not much else is needed to be said, it was a horrid mess to clean up... when she found it two weeks later.

Opening the closet she did find a couple pairs of shoes casually tossed into a pile of dirty cloths. Otherwise Aimi's room appeared clean, so Kagome nodded her head in approval, and changed her focus. A book bag was sitting on her bed, opened with little papers spewing out of the zippered mouth. Sitting softly on the small bed, Kagome pulled out the paperwork. As she suspected there was an assortment of different forms she would need to fill out for Aimi to return.

Mostly basic information made up the stack of papers: a permission slip for a trip to an ice cream factory in two weeks, emergency contact information for the teacher, several simple new student forms, an envelope for student portraits, and lastly a permission slip for Aimi to be enrolled into the Youkai Physical Education class; taught by Inuyasha Takahashi.

Inuyasha. So that was his name. Well, at least she had learned it one way or another. Before she could stop it, a small smile crept onto her lips, and she felt _happy_. Quickly the feeling was squashed, scoffing to herself. "I mean, not like I care. I could have never learned his first name, and been perfectly happy."

"Mommy, who are you talking to?" Aimi said from the doorway, already covered in mud. She frowned at her daughter's messy appearance, but decided it was better to not worry about it. Long ago she had removed all the carpet in the house; Kagome decided that if there were business for finding mud puddles, and inserting ones entire body into it, Aimi would hold the corner on that market.

"I was talking to myself, sadly. Do you have any other papers for me here? I'll need to fill them out for you to return," she answered.

"Shippo told me that when you talk to yourself, it means you're crazy," she giggled. "Now I can tell him he's wrong, because my Mommy does it."

Kagome laughed. "Well, maybe if you answered yourself. I try my best not to do that." She winked as her daughter came to sit next to her, and brushed a bit of dirt onto the floor. Her little hands pawed at the different items still remaining in her school bag.

"Here, Mommy, I drawed you this picture," she held out the construction paper, with a priceless kindergarten portrait on its face. "This one is you, Mommy, and that one is me." Aimi explained, pointing to the two blobs, one being larger, which indicated that it was the adult blob.

"Alright, well what's this one here?" she said. Gesturing towards another blob; this one had a white scribbled topping.

"That's the dog I want to get," she said with a smile.

"A dog huh? That's a pretty big dog, you know. It's bigger than I am on that picture," she explained to her daughter, showing her the difference in their sizes.

"That's ok. As long as he can be my dog," Aimi said nonsensically.

"Whatever you say," she rustled the girl's hair, and began to stand. "Why don't you go play, I'm gonna finish up work."

Before she could answer her, the phone began to ring, and her child rushed to answer it.

"Hello!" Aimi bellowed into the receiver, "You have reached the Higurashi and Akitoki Residence!"

"Aimi, they can hear you just fine, you don't need to scream. They probably hung up on you already," Kagome laughed, as she took the phone from her daughter, who hadn't even put the other portion of the phone to her ear. She would just hold it directly in front of her face, shouting at the top of her lungs. Was it because she could easily hear the person on the phone, without lifting to her ear, or because she didn't realize? Kagome never asked. The girl was just clueless about the telephone.

"Mommy!" she gasped, "But they are so far away, how can they hear me if I'm not loud enough?"

"That's just the magic of the phone, honey. Now go play," she said, before pulling the phone to her own ear, to see if they victim made it long enough to still be waiting for a sane person to answer the line.

"Hello, this is Kagome, may I help you?" she said.

"_Oh wow, Kagome? Was that Aimi?"_ a feminine voice said, flustered, but obviously amused.

"Yes, that's how she answers the phone. Pretty great for getting rid of telemarketers," she added absently. "May I ask who's calling?"

"_I'm sorry! This is Sango Takata, we met at the park the other day. Shippo's mother,_" she said in a voice that Kagome could tell she was smiling as well. At least the woman had a good sense of humor.

"Hi Sango, how are you doing?"

"_I'm doing great, thanks for asking. I missed seeing you this morning at school when we dropped him off. Shippo said that Aimi and him are in the same class, that's great!"_

"Yeah, too bad her teacher's a jerk," Kagome mumbled, but it wasn't lost by Sango.

"_Who, Inuyasha? A jerk? _Never_!" _Sango teased, _"He really isn't that bad, he just comes across prickly to people who don't know his... uhm, personality."_

"What do you mean? His personality to totally jump to conclusions about things he has no idea about, and butt his fat head into every situation as if he is the forefront of knowledge on the subject?" Kagome rattled off in a huff.

"_Uhh... well, I just meant he's kind of an ass. Is he really being difficult with you? That's surprising; I mean he's able to put up with Miroku. Normally, that's a good sign for others. I'm sure it is just a misunderstanding. He really is a nice guy,_" Sango finished. It was kind of odd, Kagome felt like she had known this woman for years, and they gabbed like this all the time.

"Well, I guess I shouldn't be gossiping about Aimi's teacher, especially to someone who knows him personally," Kagome replied sheepishly.

"_Don't worry about it. Well, the reason I called is to see if Shippo and Aimi could go to the park with me tomorrow after school?"_ Sango offered, exiting the odd conversation from before.

"Well, I don't know, I don't want to be rude, but I have only met you a once," Kagome said, feeling a little guilty. It may be harsh, but to be fair it wasn't safe to send Aimi off with strangers, even though they had already agreed to meet more for play dates. Those play dates she would attend as well, at least until she knew the couple a tad better.

"_I understand, Shippo just mentioned a sort of claustrophobia that you have, and I figured it may be difficult for you to make it into the school when it is crowded. There's another park right next to the school. We can meet there if you want, and I can pick her up,"_ Sango suggested.

"Well, that doesn't sound so bad, and then we can get to know each other a little better. And yeah, the 'crowds' thing… it's a little embarrassing."

"_Don't worry about it Kagome. Everyone has something that unnerves them. It's only natural. Anyways, I think this will be fun. I don't know, just had a feeling we could be friends. Sounds cheesy, doesn't it."_

"Yeah a little," Kagome and Sango both laughed, "but that's ok. I felt the same way. I'll see you tomorrow."

[:::]

Later that night, Kagome was helping Aimi with her second bath that day. On most nights, the good ones, Aimi would get a single bath. However, this evening she just _had_ to help the neighbor dog. She helped him all the way underneath the dog house, retrieving his tennis ball. _Way_ underneath it. Kagome wondered if a paint chipper would be required to remove the layer of crusted dirt off the child, but figured dunking her in a warm tub would be just as effective.

Currently, she was submerged in bubbles; they had sufficiently filled the tub. Her plastic dolphin was leaping in and out of the suds, creating a somewhat realistic sound effect of splashing waves. These were completely overshadowed by Aimi's own audio additions. Those were _not so_ realistic. More like an assortment of farm animal noises, and Kagome didn't know where the girl learned the sound of the crashing ocean resembled a mooing cow.

She had been finished with her bath for a while, but Kagome was letting her play a little while longer. Her thoughts of course turned to Inuyasha Takahashi, but she did her best to not let his attitude taint her decent mood.

[~~~~~]

_"Even without 'tests' I can tell that Aimi is no doubt part youkai."_

[~~~~~]

It was pretty pathetic how little she knew about youkai and their life. What she did know, she learned in history lessons in grade school. When youkai had first begun to integrate into the human world, it began in Japan. The western society began by calling the beings Demons and Angels. Those names weren't very accurate, so instead Youkai was adopted around the world. Youkai was more a general term for mystical beings, and how true it was.

She was a descendant of Japanese immigrants, but it was several generations ago; other than her name she was extremely Americanized, and knew very little about Japan. She was raised in a small mid-western town, and had led a sheltered life up until her marriage. In fact, when she met Hojo, he was from the only other Japanese family that lived in her town. Later she learned it was because there weren't any youkai in that area. They left Japan to find a location that wasn't _tainted_ by their sort.

Kagome, on the other hand, was fascinated by youkai; she didn't meet any until she left her town to go to college in the city. They enjoyed the area so much that they purchased their home in a nearby suburb. With more interaction she slowly began to learn more and more about them. She was still extremely naive about their culture, and habits, but she figured she would learn.

Oh how little did she know. Now her beautiful, wonderful, blessing of a daughter was a partial youkai. She looked over to see the girl's eyes had begun to sag slightly, and the mooing ocean had ceased. She smiled; and she would never give her up for the world.

Helping Aimi out of the tub, she got her ready for bed, and kissed her goodnight. She headed directly to the study to finish her last job for the evening. No matter how much focus she put on the document before her, she couldn't find the desire to work. She soon found herself browsing different web pages, searching for any details on this new development.

While she skimmed several different sites she thought about a few TV specials she had seen. They had focused on the subject of hanyou and hanpa children. From what she could recall, the offspring may have the physical appearance of a youkai, but would rarely inherit the super human abilities of a full youkai. Aimi certainly didn't fit in that category; she was incredibly strong _and_ fast. Her hearing and sense of smell were much higher than that of a human as well.

Luckily the girl had never been badly hurt, so she wasn't sure if she would have the increased rate of healing. Other than her golden eyes, and silvery hair, she didn't have any other youkai features. Normally hanpa children would have claws, or fangs, sometimes ears or tails. Or instead of being human looking in appearance, they may have been more animalistic. Not the beautiful Youkai she was used to seeing. But those children, even if their bodies weren't considered normal, they would still be comparable to a human otherwise. Aimi was the complete opposite, she looked like a normal human child, but was practically a super hero.

Kagome sighed as she opened up the next website, this one titled 'Youkai Day to Day'. There was a link on the page, 'Human/Youkai mixing, and the effects'. She skimmed through the pages, and found an excerpt that interested her.

[~~~]

… Unlike lower class youkai clans, when a mixed pup is born from a Tai-Youkai clan, they are most likely to be born with extra-ordinary abilities, and must be carefully raised. If the human parent is the mother, the pup will not start to develop youkai traits until after birth, so as not to damage the mother internally. The amount of time it takes for the youkai traits to appear varies from pup to pup.

There are currently 157 registered Tai-Youkai clans, with 1208 registered mature adults. To see a list of these families, please submit a request to the International Registry of Youkai Lineage. -Click Here- to be redirected to their site.

[~~~]

* * *

**[~A:|:N~]**

**4010**

**_Vocab Time!_**

**_*Assume - _**_To make an **ass **out of **u **and **me**_

**_Tai-Youkai _**_- Long lived/powerful Youkai_

**_International Registry of Youkai Lineage -_**_ you didn't even know they had those!_

How's it goin'

I hope everyone is enjoying my little lighthearted fic. I just want to say, it's about the journey ;)

And just in case I haven't mentioned it, and I don't think I have - this story is **completed**. I have all the chapters written out, and I am just getting someone to correct spelling errors, etc. I'll post up a new chapter every other day or so.

- Foayasha


	5. You started it

My Girl

by Foayasha

_Disclaimer: The epic of Inuyasha, while wonderful, does not belong to me. Thus I cannot, and do not, claim to own any of the characters in this short story... especially the one who likes to day dream._

_Shagsthedustmop - my wonderful beta, you are my sunshine!_

**My Girl Chpt 4 – You started it**

* * *

"Mr. Takahashi?" a small voice whispered next to his desk. He looked over to see a small chubby boy with light brown hair; typical human runt, cute, but plain.

"Yes, Jason? Did you finish the drawing of your house?" Inuyasha said quietly, patiently watching the little boy.

"Uh huh, but I need to potty," he whispered yet again, probably because of embarrassment.

"Do you know where the little boys' bathroom is Jason?" he said, while quirking an eyebrow at the young man.

The boy's eyes shifted from side to side, he obviously needed to go, but he did _not_ know where the bathroom was located from yesterdays tour. He looked around the room to see Shiori, Aimi and Shippo playing a game in the corner, so they must have been finished.

"Shippo, come here," he called, and the young fur ball of a youkai bounded toward his desk. He slid to a stop, but missed his target, and went careening directly into a pile of napping mats. Inuyasha rolled his eyes at the now upside down Fox. "Shippo, don't run. I want you to show Jason to the boys' bathroom. You went earlier, you remember how to get there?"

"Yes Sir! I'll do a great job, I promise Mr. Takahashi!" Shippo said proudly, with a mock salute.

"Keh, hurry up. I don't want a puddle on my floor," he said as Jason's pudgy face brightened like a ripe tomato.

Shippo trotted away, with the small boy trailing him quickly. The hanyou's gaze followed them as they exited the room. While the bathroom was located almost right across the hall, but he preferred the children went in pairs. Once they had left his field of vision, he took stock of the rest of his students. There were a couple of human girls coloring at their desks, and a pair of boys who seemed ready to pounce on them with finger paint covered hands. After cleaning up the small mess, he sent them off for naps.

One group of children was working on a set of wooden blocks; he had instructed the children to put them into order according to size and color. Koga had another small group and was reading them a story. If he recalled correctly it was titled 'Cooking with Pooh'. (Don't get any idea's; you know, Winnie the Pooh Bear.)

In the corner where he had recently called Shippo, Shiori and Aimi were playing quietly. They had set out an array of different large Lego blocks, and were currently building a fort for a handful of dolls, and action figures. All of the toys in his room he had purchased for his class, with guidance of past parents, and student teachers. The two young youkai were both wearing white cotton dresses, which blended their silvery hair. Today was picture day, so all of the children, for the most part, wore their 'Sunday Best'. The scene was rather angelic, which made his face soften, and a rare smile to appear.

Lately he had been disturbed; whenever he looked at the young girl he was hit with a sense of pride. Sure, she was a student of his, but he had never before thought of any of his kids as 'angelic'. This hanpa brought out an odd quality in him, which if he didn't know better, he would have called it... _fatherly_. Shuddering at his misplaced emotions, he tried to rationalize the association. The most likely reason for his feeling of 'pack' was probably due to her scent; it was so strangely familiar to him.

Just by looking at her features, he was nearly positive she was part Inu youkai, like him. Her possessive and protective nature towards her mother, and friends was clue enough. Her silver hair and golden eyes tipped the scales on that theory. On the other hand, he also found it strange how much she resembled her adopted mother; especially her cheerful smile.

He grimaced as the dull pang of regret crept into his chest. Kagome had dropped her daughter off this morning, but made if perfectly clear she wasn't interested in seeing him. She said her goodbyes from the entry to the room, barely stepping foot within the doors. Not that it had surprised him, after the way he treated her the day before.

What was difficult to ascertain was how he should feel about it. The fact that she wanted to keep space between them should have been something that relieved him. Not only because of his confused heart, but because just being around the woman seemed to always put him on edge.

That morning, when she entered the hall where his class was, he immediately caught her scent; unconsciously committing it to memory after their close encounter the day before. How he missed her aroma at the park, or when he helped her earlier that morning, was a mystery to him. When it was just the two of them in the room it was a thick curtain that blanketed his entire body. There was no avoiding her intoxicating fragrance.

Sure, as an Inu youkai, he should have been used to the pleasant scents of a woman, but she was different. Even Kikyo's scent, which he had found pleasing, was nothing in comparison. It was like her scent, Kagome's scent, had been created as a magnet to his scenes. Did all males find her to be so stimulating? Humm… he didn't like that idea.

What was worse? She was _completely_ unaware. When he began to feel his body involuntarily react, he instantly became frustrated and defensive. It just happened to be the worst possible way to handle the situation he had gotten himself into.

He needed to explain the course of action she should take if she truly had any issues with youkai. It tends to be a touchy subject, but it was a discussion he needed to have with several parents before, and knew what to expect from most. What he didn't expect was the way her scent _spiked_ when he closed the distance between them. His tolerance was pushed to the breaking point, and if it were a test, he surely flunked.

After he began accusing her, the aroma only flooded his senses further. When her temperature began to rise from her anger, and frustration, it was nearly palpable. His mind had never been so overpowered by his youkai in his life. He prided himself on self control, and although he knew he could be harsh at times, he had gone through a lot to never let his youkai instincts control him.

Having such discipline was expected of hanyou who were born from Tai-Youkai clans. Otherwise risk the stronger youkai blood overpowering the human blood; essentially becoming victim to the raw instincts of the youkai mind. Potentially committing horrible crimes, and being condemned to youkai prisons for centuries. Being controlled by the inner youkai was indeed extremely dangerous, but also dishonorable and humiliating. Inuyasha had no interest in allowing such an issue to arise, and did his due diligence to prepare.

But that woman… by breathing alone, brought down all of his control, crumbing at her feet. He left the room frustrated and uncomfortable in more ways than one. He didn't even wait for her to follow him out.

His outbursts were mainly due to his fear of the woman. In a matter of moments she had affected him more than any female. The most frightening aspect had been the goal of his youkai; it wasn't as if his instincts were urging him to hurt her, or push her away. No, they wanted her closer. Too close. He desired her; wanted her. In a way that was not proper to want the mother of one of his students.

He didn't even know anything about her, other than she had a daughter, and her scent was like an addiction. Keh, she was probably married, or at least had a boyfriend. How could she raise such a sweet girl like Aimi alone? And here he was, barely even knew her, yelling down her throat, while mentally lusting over her. It was unacceptable. Sure, he was a guy, but he wasn't some hormone driven teenager.

He was mortified for his actions, and had intended on making amends in some way. And of course, let her give a proper explanation for the questions and accusations he had so rudely thrown in her face. This morning he didn't even get that chance. The poor woman was practically saturated in apprehension, obviously at having another harsh talk with him. He visibly cringed when he noticed it, and he could tell Aimi picked it up as well; her little nose crinkled at the acrid scent. She bolted the moment Aimi released her grip on her hand, and turned to walk in the room.

He could smell she was still in the hallway, probably waiting to make sure Aimi was alright, but just out of sight. She waited at least 10 minutes, which didn't help his sanity. Aimi noticed as well, continuously watching the doorway, until her mother silently left the school. The rest of the morning he received little sneers from Aimi's direction, but he only saw them as endearing; the poor girl couldn't look threatening no matter how hard she tried.

After a couple hours she seemed to forget her earlier affliction towards him, and was eagerly clambering for his attention, just like all of his other students. When he smirked at her she would blush and beam with pride. Even if she didn't realize it, her instincts were conflicting within her. Her protectiveness of her mother told her to be wary of him, but they were kin, whether she understood it or not; he knew she could feel the odd connection they shared.

Later that afternoon the children were all sitting around him, cross legged on foam mats. He had just finished a story, about an outcast hanyou of the past; the warrior worked together with human and youkai companions to defeat a great evil. It was his favorite story to tell, since it held such a strong theme of many races coming together to work as one. Even the young minds could understand its importance.

"Okay kids, school is almost over. I want to pick up all the paperwork your parents should have filled out last night. Go get them, and then return to your places," he instructed as a rush of children bustled about the room. Some digging through cubby holes, some back packs; others had the papers tucked into their desks. Eventually he watched the last chubby human waddle back to his mat, and he started to make his way around to pick up each item.

The children held up their papers high in the air, each bouncing with anticipation, in an attempt to gather his attention. The human children only had to return basic information forms, but his youkai students also had physical education permission slips he needed to pick up. True, most hanyou or hanpa didn't have super human strength or speed, but to keep from neglecting the possibility, they were all required to participate in the class.

By law, this was the only part of a schools curriculum which could be segregated. The basic purpose of the class was to teach restraint, and control to those of youkai decent. Once the students passed the class, they were allowed to choose between the human and youkai physical education classes. Youkai classes were a mix of training, and teaching control, but the human classes were basic physical education: playing, learning games, running and the like.

Humans were allowed to attend the class as well, but only youkai were required to take it to continue their education. If a human did sign up, they were not to be paired with a hanyou or youkai partner who could potentially harm them. Since the class was to teach safety to young, growing youkai, there were too many chances that accidents could happen.

He was relieved that he didn't get any objections from parents this year on the permissions slips; even Kagome had signed and filled out Aimi's slip. He thumbed through the pile of papers he had acquired, shuffled them into order, and placed them onto his desk for later filing. It was obvious the end of the day was near, because when he returned to his troop they all sat silent and calm; more like sleepily.

"We're gonna go out and play on the equipment for a little while before school let's out. Would you guys like that?" he asked with a quirked smile. Of course they would like that, and they found renewed energy to nod their little head furiously as indication.

He led them outside, to the kindergarten playground, through the back entrance to his room. The other kindergarten teachers were also outside with their students, which made it the first gathering of the kindergarten class. Mr. Suikotsu, and Mrs. Kanna were standing next to each other, talking quietly. He noticed out of the corner of his eye that Ms. Wolfgang was currently speaking to her small batch of youkai students, which reminded him he needed to do the same.

"Aimi, Shippo and Shiori!" he called out to them and their heads perked up from the mass of other students. "Come here for a moment please."

They each skipped quickly over to his side, and he turned to face them. "Alright, this is your first play time out on the playground with all of the other students. This will be just like when you go to the park with your parents; you need to be very careful while you play with all of the other children. Understand?" He said sternly, and they nodded. "Alright, don't let me catch you doing anything too dangerous."

When they mingled back into the mob of other kids, he walked over to the other teachers. Koga was sitting on a park bench, and Inuyasha noticed Ms. Wolfgang was staring at the assistant teacher from afar. He rolled his eyes, and strolled over to stand next to her.

"You know, Ayame, that odd look you're giving him right now… he's bound to think you're having a seizure or something," he teased. She turned an annoyed eye at him, and crossed her arms defensively.

"What are you talking about Inuyasha, I wasn't staring at anyone," she denied. Ayame was a Wolf youkai from one of the ancient Irish tribes. From what he knew, they had migrated to the US during the 1700s, when humans from that country had started hunting the wolf population. Despite her young looks, she was nearly the same age as he was. It made teasing her that much more fun.

"You know, he spends a lot more time in your classroom than any of the others," he smirked. "I know that he's a bit young, but I bet you two could work it out. What a cute cou-"

She interrupted his comment with a soft growl, but not softly enough to avoid detection from _all_ of the youkai on the playground. Fifteen or so pairs of questioning eyes quietly stared in their direction, causing her to blush madly. She stuttered and apology, and swiftly turned around to cover her embarrassed cheeks.

Eventually, after gathering her composure, she stomped off. It was only after a few minutes, and he wasn't surprised, that she chose to sit next to the male Ookami. Koga flashed a charming fanged grin and she blushed again, before turning away to hide her embarrassment. Inuyasha averted his gaze, and focused back on the students.

Shiori and Shippo were playing on a set of swings, and he noticed the rest of his human students in a game of Red Rover, but for some reason he didn't see Aimi on the playground. He quickly scanned the blacktop, noticing a group of children playing near a merry-go-round, and another small bunch drawing with chalk on the pavement. His heart began to thud loudly in his chest when he realize the young Inu wasn't within sight. He had seen her only a moment before, why was he so worried?

Standing a bit taller, he strained his senses to attempt to pick up the hanpa's scent. After a few attempts, he was able to finally filter out her out from the rest of the children. It was always so difficult to individualize a specific smell when full classes of students were outside. He followed it to the far side of the playground, and turned the corner of the building, where the fenced kindergarten playground extended a bit further.

In the small alcove there was a growing Ficus; it was planted by his own class, for Arbor Day, about 10 years ago. The tree had grown to a decent size, and on a branch, that wasn't higher than he was tall, he found Aimi.

Her shoes had been kicked off, and were sitting unclaimed under the tree. Was she napping? She was reclining against the trunk, little bare feet sitting on the branch outstretched in front, and her hands pillowing neck. For some reason, seeing her like that gave him an odd sense of déjà vu.

She didn't seem to notice, or care, that he was right next to her. So he walked over to her branch, and leaned lightly on it, causing the tree's appendage to dip slightly. She didn't react to him, keeping her eyes lightly closed, and her breathing even.

"Would you like to explain why you're over here all by yourself, and out of my sight?" he lightly scolded her. He never mentioned she needed to stay where he could see her, and normally he wouldn't even be upset. There was that odd protectiveness again.

"It's nice to be alone sometimes," she said simply. "Mommy and I like to sit under, and in our tree's at home."

"Alright, I guess it's hard to argue that. I do the same sometimes," he agreed. Isn't that how he originally met the two of them anyways? Really, he couldn't think of anything she had done wrong. He could hardly call sitting on a branch, which wasn't even four feet off the ground, a dangerous activity for a youkai. She wasn't doing anything she shouldn't have been, and she was still within the boundaries of the playground. Why did he feel like panicking when he couldn't locate her?

"You made my Mommy very mad at you," she said, quietly, but clearly. "She doesn't like being called names."

"When did I call her a name, Aimi?" he frowned, but found relief being pulled from his earlier musings.

"When you left yesterday, you called her a bad name," she answered, sounding aghast. "I heard you, but I didn't know what it meant. When I asked Mommy, she called you a jerk."

"Call it a force of habit," he chuckled, "It wasn't nice of your Mommy to call me a jerk either."

"You started it," she stated firmly.

He huffed a 'Keh', and crossed his arms. She opened her own eyes, and gave him a knowing stare, until he relinquished, "Alright, when I see her again, I'll tell her 'I'm sorry'."

"Good, I think she'll like that," she said with a smile. At that moment he watched her eyes, like a light bulb had sprang to life in her head. At this point she leaned back, putting her hands back behind her head, and closing her eyes once more.

"My Mommy's the best, you know?" she began nonchalantly. "The most pertiest girl I have ever seen, and she's really, really smart too. This one time, we were playing hid and seek, and I hid in my 'super secret doublety triply hardest place to be found', and you know what? She found me!

"My Mommy is the very best girl ever, and she makes really good food too, most of the time. I think she makes lots of money too, which someone told me is a very good thing." After her monologue she had opened one eye barely to watch his reaction.

Inuyasha on the other hand was doing his best to keep from laughing at this small match maker. So did this mean that Kagome was single? Well, it could just mean that Aimi doesn't like the man she is with.

"Oh really, is that so?" He smiled and tilted his head to the side. At least the runt liked him well enough to think he was good enough for her mother. He changed the subject by suggesting some juice, and they made their way back to the playground with the rest of the children.

[:::]

The last of his students were being picked up, leaving only Shippo and Aimi playing with some Legos. He felt his nerves beginning to pick up at the thought of Kagome arriving soon. He needed to talk to her, to apologize, and get on better terms with the woman. If nothing else, so he wouldn't have to be put through the scent of her dread again. That was enough incentive to make up with her. He was nervously tapping a pen on his blotter when Sango came into the room.

"Hey Kiddos! Are you ready to go to the park," she said as she picked up a bundle of Shippo, and hugged him close. Both of the children responded with a quick yes, and ran to pick up their bags.

"Sango, are you taking Aimi?" he said, feeling a small amount of apprehension. What about his talk with the girl's mother? She turned to look at him, and gave him a dirty look.

"After how you treated Kagome, I'm surprised she would ever want to see you again. I offered to pick up Aimi, and we're going to meet her at the park." She smiled at the girl, as both kids lined up before her. "Ready to go?" And they nodded to her.

"Hey! What the he- er… I mean, what do you mean she doesn't want to see me again," he barked out. He wanted to say he was sorry. He couldn't exactly do it if Sango came to get the girl _instead_ of the wench he needed to talk to.

"She told me about how rude you were to her," she scolded him; "I don't even know what you were thinking. You could lose your job for speaking to a parent like that."

"Keh, that's not the point," he argued. "If she weren't so hot headed –"

"Pfft… you're one to talk Inuyasha," Sango jeered. He scowled at her for a moment, while picking up the remainder of his things.

"So, she _is_ avoiding me then," he frowned. This wasn't really how he wanted things to turn out. How did he want things to turn out then?

**_Inuyasha's Internal Theater | Showing 3:15pm | Inuyasha's Apology to Kagome_**

Enter Kagome – Stage Right

Inuyasha walks purposely up to her, and firmly encircles her waist.

Kagome gasps.

Dramatically he bends her backwards over his arm, looking deep into her eyes.

**Inuyasha**: Kagome, I'm sor- (interrupted by Kagome)

**Kagome**: Inuyasha, just stop. You don't need to say anything, _I_ was being unreasonable.

Kagome raises a hand, to gently cup Inuyasha's face.

**Inuyasha**: Keh, I know.

Inuyasha smirks, and leans down toward Kagome; closing what little distances is left between them, catching her scent so fabulously sweet and heady in his nose.

**Kagome**: Oh Inuyasha, you're _so_… wonderful.

**_The scene continues, as does the rest of the real world._**

His face took on a dazed expression as he smirked at his day dream, effectively ignoring Sango. Humm… yes; if he apologized, he could really get used to feeling her up next to him. She was probably as soft as he imagined.

"Is that a problem? Well, if you want her to pay attention to you, I suggest not digging your nose where it doesn't belong," he flinched at her ironic statement, but she didn't notice. Sighing she took the kids hands, leaving his room. He heard her mumble to herself as she walked down the hallway, "I mean really Inuyasha, what business of it is yours anyways?"

He flattened his ears to his head at her obvious statement. If Sango was this mad, then Kagome must have been furious with him. But then he remembered his little talk with Aimi, and remembered how sweet she was. Kagome must be a level headed woman to raise such a good daughter; she would be reasonable when he saw her again. Right?

* * *

**[~A:|:N~]**

**4098**

_**Vocab Time!**_

_**Irish Wolves** - Yes, up until the 1700s or so, there were wolves in the irish countryside; the same breed that lives in North America, btw. Due to fears of them when the people started to expand into the wolves territory, they were hunted to extinction._

_**Super secret doublety triply hardest place to be found** - that's really freaking hidden.  
_

_**Inuyasha's Internal Theater -**__Just be glad it isn't 'Miroku's Internal Theater'._

Alright, so would it be weird if I ran around 'squeeeing' with joy because I got 7 reviews from my last chapter? I know that isn't a lot, but seriously, that was pretty bad ass. ^_^ Thanks for everyone who reviewed, even if they are random hateful comments towards our resident idiot hanyou, lol.

So anywho, I know that Inuyasha would probably never day dream like that, but _if_ he did, I imagine it would be all messed up, lol.

- Foayasha


	6. You have to say 'like' 2 times

My Girl

by Foayasha

_Disclaimer: The epic of Inuyasha, while wonderful, does not belong to me. Thus I cannot, and do not, claim to own any of the characters in this short story... including the one who thinks the important stuff is covered._

_Shagsthedustmop you make me happy when skys are grey._

**My Girl Chpt 5 – You have to say 'Like' 2 times**

* * *

Kagome sat with Sango on a wooden park bench while watching their young children play an intense game of tag through the playground; the pace was quick enough to put most human athletes to shame. She had never seen Aimi go full out before, mostly because she was very cautious when human children were playing also. Occasionally they would trip each other up, and slam into a piece of equipment on the playground; then they would get up as if nothing was wrong, continuing the game without any change.

The two girls sat in companionable silence for a few minutes after exchanging basic back-stories. Kagome learned that Sango and Miroku were college sweethearts. When they met, they hadn't gotten along in the least. Miroku would be found flirting with every girl, while she was the typical tomboy. When they finally looked past their exterior appearances, and got to know each other, they fell in love. Sweet story really.

Kagome had explained the basics of her early marriage, and divorce; her profession, and finished with the adoption of Aimi. When she brought up Aimi being adopted as well, Sango explained that Shippo's family was killed by anti-youkai extremists. Fortunately he was so young at the time, he didn't remember the details. Miroku and herself had decided to be foster parents for a short time, and met Shippo. Eventually they ended up adopting him, and they had been a family since.

"When you adopted Shippo, did he look the same as he does now?" Kagome queried. The differences in life spans of youkai, compared to that of a human, had always fascinated her.

"Not really, he's a Kitsune, and their aging rate from birth into puberty is very similar to a humans," Sango explained. "Although, when he hits about 15 or 16, he'll start to age much slower. From what I understand, it's the same for some hanyou, and hanpa. So, your Aimi may experience the same thing."

"Oh, so you could tell she was part youkai as well?" Kagome said, feeling foolish for being the only one who wasn't sure on the subject.

"Well, Miroku and I are both from families who are very familiar with youkai," Sango questioned, seeming surprised. "You mean, you can't tell? Aren't you a miko?"

"Who me? I'm just a plain girl, nothing special. Maybe, somewhere in my past there were miko's in my family, but we've lived in the US for several generations now. Nothing of the sort was mentioned, or encouraged, so I had never even thought about it." Kagome finished with a slight shrug, the notion of being a miko wasn't something she had ever thought of, and really, she wasn't interested. Those who had high spiritual powers, such as mikos and priests, had the ability and knowledge to harm youkai. Why would she want power like that?

"Well, I'm no expert, but I have a good feeling. If you looked into it, you'd realize you're a little more than just a plain human," Sango smiled at her. A silence drew, and it was obvious that the woman had another question, but was holding back. However, after a few moments, the pressure was building beyond her capability to control it. "So, are you going to talk to Inuyasha again?"

"Er… what?" Kagome gasped, not expecting the subject to change to, well... _that_. "Talk to him? I'm not really looking forward to a rematch."

"Well, I told him he was a prick for giving you such a hard time the other day," Sango explained.

"You did what! Oh my god, Sango," Kagome grabbed the sides of her head. "How could you do that? I mean… now he knows he's an idiot, and that I think he's an idiot," she whined.

"That's nothing new," Sango said, "He can be pretty stupid."

"Well, now there's no way. I'll never be able to face him again. I'd never be able to have a parent-teacher conference. Or pick up Aimi when she's sick. I'll have to change school districts. How embarrassing," she finished her exaggerated rant.

"I don't think you have much to worry about. He seemed upset that you weren't picking up Aimi today," Sango smirked as Kagome perked up a bit.

"Really? You mean, he _wanted_… to see me again?" she replied in awe. After a moment she frowned, and continued with a snort. "Could have fooled me, he doesn't even like me. As a matter of fact, I think he gets sick at the sight of my face. He's constantly glaring at me, and hasn't shown any sort of interest, other than an interest in pissing me off."

"Oh, but you're interested?" Sango teased.

"Hey now, don't get any ideas." Kagome hunched over, giving her companion a sideways glare. "It's not like that. I mean, sure I want him to like me. But he doesn't need to 'like like' me, _but_ if he did 'like like' me, than it wouldn't be bad. I mean... not that him 'like liking' me is good, I mean... er, yeah." Kagome stuttered.

"So tell me Kagome, really... if he _'like liked'_ you, would you _'like like'_ that?" Sango chuckled.

"Oh shut up, this is serious. I just don't know how to explain it," Kagome sighed, and slumped a bit on the bench.

"Well, sorry to break it to you, Kagome, but this isn't middle school anymore. Worrying about if a boy is 'in like' with you shouldn't deter you from confronting him. You seem like a very strong woman, stand up for your daughter and yourself. If anything, I think it will make him 'like like' you even more," Sango smiled encouragingly.

Kagome laughed, and smiled back, "You're right Sango. I do need to talk to him, either way. Like or no Like."

[:::]

Off in the distance, Aimi and Shippo were watching the two adults carefully. Shippo's mom had changed the topic once more to boring stuff, like the place that he went to the doctor, and how hard it was for him to take a bath. The two children looked at each other, and both found sly grins.

"What do you think she means 'like like'?" Aimi asked quietly.

"That's when two people really like each other, more than just regular liking someone, so you have to say 'like' two times," Shippo answered.

"Is it the same as love? My Mommy won't get married again unless she's in love," Aimi said knowingly.

"So? Why does that matter?" Shippo replied.

"Because."

"Because, why?"

"Because."

"Because, why?"

"Because, if my Mommy doesn't get married, than I can't get married," she explained.

"Oh, so I can't marry you unless your Mommy gets married first?" Shippo answered.

"Right, so if double liking someone means that they love you, we need to get Mr. Takahashi to 'like like' her for sure," she said with a confident smirk. "I already started, just in case."

"What do you mean?"

"I already told him about all the great things my Mommy does," she said.

"Like what? Did you tell him she was pretty?"

"Uh huh, I told him she's really smart. She found me in my 'super secret doublety triply hardest place to be found'."

"Oh wow, she is smart," Shippo nodded in careful thought. "What about how much money she makes?"

"Yep, and that she cooks good sometimes."

"Well, I guess you got all the important stuff covered," Shippo acknowledged prudently. "We'll just need to help him out I think."

"Ok, we can start tomorrow," Aimi smiled. Soon after they had agreed on their plot, Aimi heard her mother calling, and the two children ran back to the bench. After saying their good byes, the two hugged, and smirked at their secret, before walking to their cars.

[:::]

Kagome had a hard time making her way into the school the following afternoon. She had already botched her opportunity to speak with Inuyasha that morning, and hadn't helped the awkward tension between them.

That morning she had prepared herself well to speak with the hanyou teacher, and had steeled her nerves, ready to handle any of the insults he may throw at her. She boldly walked with the small girl, marching directly into the classroom. Sitting in the teacher's desk, the young man she had met the other day, Koga.

Inuyasha wasn't in the room.

Well, that's ok, that would just give her more time to prepare, and discuss everything with the man while his students weren't all sitting in the room as well. Perfect, she would talk to him later then.

She was mentally congratulating herself as she turned around to run smack into a wall; a wall that hadn't been there before. She placed her hands gently onto… a muscular chest, and slowly pushed away. Oh yes, a very built chest, attached to a very sexy teacher. How could he disintegrate any articulate thoughts in her mind by just _being?_

Completely embarrassed already, she looked up to see his expression was a mixture of surprise, and if she didn't know better, disgust. What nerve he had! It made her so angry, without even realizing, _she_ accused _him_ of not watching where he walked. Of course, he immediately picked up the bait, and countered her accusation with one of his own. Needless to say, after a few minutes of bickering, the two parted ways feeling even angrier than before; and feeling a little something else.

She shuddered at the memory, and sighed heavily at the entrance to the elementary school. The final students had walked out a moment before, and she knew she was _again_ later than she needed to be. Well, who would want anyone to walk in on the yelling match that was sure to ensue when she confronted him?

The hallway was warm, and comforting, but the low ceilings and small corridors of the kindergarten wing weren't exactly what she called soothing. She got to the doorway, and paused before entering the room. Her nerves had completely taken over, and she was almost ready to turn around and wait a few more minutes.

"I know you're out there, just come in and pick up your girl," she heard his annoyed voice from inside the room. She poked her head around the door, only to see Aimi playing on a mat, with Inuyasha sitting at his desk. He seemed to be doing some sort of paperwork, but really, how much paperwork could a kindergarten teacher have to do? He was probably just busying himself, so he wouldn't need to focus on her presence.

"Mommy! Is it time to go home?" Aimi smiled at her, as she ran to give her a hug.

This was it. Say something now, or stay on his bad side for the rest of the year. "Yes, but first I need to have a grown up talk with Mr. Takahashi."

Aimi took the hint; her Mommy had a way with 'talking' to people, so she knew she was not to interrupt.

"What on earth could you want to talk about, Mrs. Higurashi? Did you want to accuse me of making the clock run too quickly, thus causing you to be late _again_?" he drawled, not even looking up from his stack of… finger paintings. He was placing gold star stickers on each one. Some of the better ones would get gold and a red sticker. How could she take him seriously while he was doing _that_?

"Mr. Takahashi, do you think you could put the stickers away for a moment?" she said, crossing her arms and waiting for him to give her his attention. "I would like to speak with you about our talk the other day."

She noticed that he did push the papers away, but he didn't get up from his desk, almost if he wanted to keep the distance between them. Oh well, it was better that way for her too. Whenever he got too close, her mind was a blur.

"Alright, Woman, go ahead," he said, seeming annoyed by her intrusion.

"First off, my name is not Woman. I'm the mother of one of your students, I would think you could give me a little more respect than that," she sneered. This wasn't starting off well.

"Alright, Mrs. Higurashi," he scowled, "What exactly, MA'AM, may I ask you came to talk about?"

"Take me seriously," she muttered.

"I am."

"Doesn't feel like it."

"Doesn't matter to me."

"Oh my god, you're insufferable!"

"Well, that's because you're an emotional human."

"And here you are, accusing me of being against youkai. I think it's you who has a problem with humans."

"Keh, Woman. You're the one who made all the claims about your daughter's blood. Did you have enough time to think about your words to convince me otherwise?" He said, obviously taking offense to her statement.

"Yes, and I think it was wrong of you to jump to those conclusions. You don't know us, or our situation. How dare you say such insensitive things, and then run out of the room, not even giving me the chance to explain!" She snapped back at him.

"It wasn't a good idea for me to stay Mrs. Higurashi. Things were getting… heated," he explained, shifting uncomfortably in his chair.

"Well, I'm sure if your fat head blows any more hot air into this room, it's going to get heated again. Don't be a coward, and run away _again_," she jeered.

"Why you… You! I left for your safety, stupid woman," he yelled. By this time, he had stood from his chair, and was leaning heavily on the desk, with his claws digging into the hard wooden surface. "Don't you understand anything about youkai? Did you want me to put you and your daughter in danger?"

"No! Of course not!" she yelled. By this point Aimi had stood between the two adults, grasping tightly to her mothers leg, a low growl in her throat. No, this was not the direction she wanted the talk to go. Inuyasha looked furious, and both of their voices only continued to raise in volume.

It was apparent that this man had completely misunderstood her intentions, and jumped to the worst possible conclusion. With her own attitude problem, she wasn't helping the situation. If he wasn't going to calm down, than she needed to for him, and get everything straitened out properly. She took a deep breath, and worked to explain herself.

"Alright, it seems that we have gotten off on the wrong foot, Mr. Takahashi," she began. "I'm going to forget all of what just happened, how rude you have been, and how rude I have been as well. Let's just pretend it didn't happen for a moment and calm down. Maybe we can actually get a few coherent words out."

"Keh. Fine," he said in a tired voice, raking his hands through his long hair. He must have also felt the situation had quickly gotten out of hand. "Do me a favor though, if we're going to talk, just call me Inuyasha. I hate formalities."

"_Inuyasha_, I can do that. You seem to have gotten the wrong idea about me, and Aimi," she said calmly, preparing for her monologue. "My daughter, since her birth, has been treated as a human. When these changes started to happen our life was torn to pieces, she lost half of her family, including her father. I was devastated, but in the end, I wouldn't have had it any other way. I only want those who can accept her, as she really is, to be a part of her life.

"The only reason I made mention that she _may_ be youkai is because I didn't want the school district to be unaware. Aimi is very _special_, she looks like a normal girl, but she is so much more. I was worried that if she wasn't properly looked after, that she could get hurt, or another child could get hurt. I couldn't even imagine someone putting Aimi in that sort of danger."

Inuyasha stayed quiet, only nodding thoughtfully. The odd silence led her to continue her explanation, almost to the point of rambling.

"Of course, I didn't realize there was a PE class for youkai, but still. If I hadn't mentioned it, the school district would have assumed she was human. Maybe she was moved to your class specifically _because_ she was youkai. Who knows what the difference would have been if I hadn't said anything. That generally puts her, and your other students, at risk.

"Look, I'm only concerned that she be taught the proper way to deal with her strengths; and I _do_ see them as strengths. I am very proud of my daughter, all of her. Blood does not make a person, their heart does," she finished, feeling a little flushed at her emotional explanation.

"Oh," Inuyasha replied finally, his eyes fairly wide, and his ears drooping slightly. His voice indicating his realization, "Oh... well that just makes my whole accusation incredibly embarrassing," he mumbled. His face had taken on an immature shade of red, and his hand found its way to the back of his neck. "Alright then, Mrs. Higurashi."

"Kagome is fine," she corrected quickly.

"Kagome, please accept… erm, please... *ahem* uh... damn," he fumbled. He seemed to be fighting an internal battle, and Kagome only looked amused as she waited patiently for him to finish his statement. There was a short awkward silence; Inuyasha was doing his best to keep from looking directly at her. However, when her gaze locked firmly on his face, he finally got out his words.

"I am very sorry," he finished with a slight nod, before he turned on his heel, heading for his desk.

"It's ok Inuyasha, thank you for your concern. I'm also sorry for giving you such a hard time and thank you for allowing me to fully explain," she said softly. She turned to take Aimi home, right as Inuyasha began picking up his coat and a crate with books, and paperwork. He met them at the door, and followed them out of the room.

"So Kagome, you have no idea what type of youkai Aimi might be?" he said amiably, his demeanor totally changed once he realized that Kagome was a 'Youkai Lover'.

"Absolutely none. I know her mother was human, and her father was 'John Doe'," she finished sadly. Aimi wasn't even paying attention to the adults conversation any longer, she had ran in front of them a good ways. In her hand was a paper airplane she had made in class, 'zooming' it up and down the hall.

"She's from an Inu line, like my own," his stated firmly, a light blush staining his cheeks. Kagome was a bit shocked to learn he could tell such a thing. "The Inu youkai bloodline is very, uh... noble. All of the remaining clans are of the Tai Youkai grade, which would easily explain her added youkai abilities you seem to think she has."

"You're a _Dog_ youkai?" Kagome smiled quickly, that explains those cute ears. She didn't miss the slightly condescending way he mentioned what she 'seemed to think'. _Men._

"I kind of always thought the name gave it away," he teased. He was teasing her, was that good? She kind of liked it.

"I guess I just hadn't thought about it, I don't know very much Japanese," she laughed. "What makes you think she's Inu then?"

"Well, her scent is a dead give away, but there are other clues too. Several youkai races will pass on silver hair as a trait; Bat youkai, for example. An Inu descendant can easily be detected because we have a very specific, _and unique_, eye coloring. It's actually a prized trait," he grinned proudly. Kagome smiled at Inuyasha's bragging, since he also had golden eyes, like Aimi. "The only problem is, I haven't heard of any Inu clans who have had children recently, and adoption is practically forbidden."

"So, someone didn't want the world to know they had a mix-blood child?" she asked. Inuyasha cringed a bit at her wording.

"I'm not sure. In my own family, there were some initially opposed to my birth," he stated sadly.

"So you're a hanyou, right?" she questioned, getting very into the whole conversation. They had already reached the end of the sidewalk, and were standing there chatting.

"I'm half human, half youkai," he explained. He seemed a little uncomfortable; maybe he didn't like talking about it. "If I were to have any pups, they would look like Aimi does, but any of my relatives children would have had my ears, or at least a tail."

"Aimi said she wanted a tail," she giggled, and he smiled at her. Wow, he looked great when he did that.

"Well, I'll look into it for you. The other Inu clan might have some delinquent hanyou who's running around fathering bastard children," he joked.

"Well, what about your family, couldn't someone from your clan have done it?" she teased back.

"Keh, fat chance, the only ones from my line who are still around are me and my _full _blooded brother," he said with a quirked expression.

"Ok, Inuyasha. It was nice finally talking with you, we'll see you around," she said. They waved and she swept the girl into her arms, twirling her playfully as they made their way to her car.

[:::]

"And here they are!" Kagome said with a flourish, placing the warm comforter in a heap on Aimi's bed. "It's all clean now. Next time, let's not use the blankets for a fort when you and Shippo want to have a pudding fight. As a matter of fact, let's _never_ have a pudding fight again."

Aimi cringed slightly, but giggled. She had already been scolded by her mother for that idea, and wasn't so much in trouble any longer. She had already gotten ready for bed, dressed in her pink 'jammies', but her hair was still a little damp from her bath. She helped her mother tuck in the corners of the blanket, and once it was complete, she climbed in underneath.

Once she was tucked in, Kagome found the book she would read the girl, and sat down next to her on the bed.

"Mmm, this is warm, mind if I sleep in here tonight," she teased her daughter.

"No…" she whined lightly, and joked, "Mommy, you don't fit."

"You sayin' I'm fat!" Kagome said with a mock gasp, and began tickling the little girl through the blankets. "I'll show you fat."

Aimi laughed uncontrollably, "No mommy…" she managed to get out. "I didn't mean… that you were… *giggle* fat *giggle*… I just meant *hehe* that you were *hah* too big for my bed."

"That's not any better girly!" she said, continuing her 'punishment'. Though, she didn't want to clean the sheets _again_, so she ended before Aimi pee'd the bed.

"So, tell me, what are you doing in school tomorrow?" Kagome questioned after letting her catch her breath.

"Oh, another PE class, and we can actually do stuff this time," Aimi said excitedly. "Mr. Takahashi teaches the class mommy. When he does, he changes his shirt."

She eyed her daughter, "what do you mean 'he changes his shirt'?"

"He changes his shirt. He wears this one shirt, it's tighter than the other one he wears," Aimi nodded. "I think you would like it."

"Eep! What? I don't know what you're talking about Aimi," Kagome blushed. Well… maybe she would want to see Mr. Takahashi in his 'tighter shirt'. To be honest seeing him at all would be nice, but… the school hallways were so terrible. She didn't want to wear out her welcome anyways. He may have just been being nice to her. No reason to give him another reason to yell at her right?

"Ms. Wolfgang said that it was his 'hot shirt' and that it wasn't appro… appropri…"

"Appropriate?"

"Yeah, that it wasn't _appropriate_ for him to wear in school," Aimi nodded again. Humm… yes, she wanted to see this shirt.

"So, you have another PE class, and you get to do _stuff_?"

"Uh huh."

"Well, you be sure to show Mr. Takahashi how fast and strong you are," Kagome smirked. Recalling how he hadn't believed her.

"I will Mommy," she said with a smile.

"Alright, well, let's start this story," she said, opening up the story book. "Once upon a time…"

* * *

**[~A:|:N~]**

**4070**

**_Vocab Time!_**

**_Inu_**_ – dog (like you didn't already know)_

**_Miko_**_ – Shinto Priestess_

**_Like Like _**_– Its when you really like someone, so much so, you have to say like 2 times._

I think these chapters are getting pretty fun. ^_^ And I finished polishing the final chapter and epilogue last night, and let me tell you, I am DYING to post it! Just waiting for my final spelling check and what not. I will still only post chapters one at a time, but the full stories gonna be up soon. Thanks for everyone who's been following, it has really made it worth it to see how much people enjoy the story.

- Foayasha


	7. Man up already

My Girl

by Foayasha

_Disclaimer: The epic of Inuyasha, while wonderful, does not belong to me. Thus I cannot, and do not, claim to own any of the characters in this short story... that includes the one with the mean right hook._

_luv Shagsthedustmop Thanks Girl!_

**My Girl Chpt 6 – Man up already**

**Double Chapter – hope you're ready for this ^_^**

* * *

"Everyone line up. See this white line? Don't let me catch your toes crossing it," Inuyasha instructed. It was the second week of school, and technically the second youkai PE class. Although, in Inuyasha's mind, it was really the first; the initial class was only going over the basics: filling out paperwork, reading handouts, and watching the government required videos.

The class had been his to lead for at least the past decade; normally with the assistance with one or two of the other youkai instructors. This year he had insisted that Koga partake, and this meant Ayame was more than happy to also join into the fray. Go figure.

There were about forty kids enrolled this year, from kindergarten through the fourth grades, and had been split up into groups based on experience and age. Inuyasha had been adamant to take the kindergarten students this year, but would normally have preferred the third and fourth year kids. His group was made up of about eleven runts: four of them were full youkai, there were also four hanyou, and two hanpa.

This year a single human also signed up. This wasn't a surprise however; the kid was his niece, Rin. The problem was, without another mortal, Rin wouldn't be able to participate in the tandem activities.

As the youngest children made up their line, Inuyasha decided now would be a good time to see if any of these youkai would be a good fit for Rin. Aimi rang into his mind, and although Kagome seemed sure she would be an exemplary youkai, he had his doubts. She didn't have _that_ much youkai blood, and her mother didn't seem to know much about youkai to begin with. How strong could she be?

The kids, who were all bundled solidly, had all taken their instructed positions on the field. The gymnasium was only used by the youkai PE class if activities weren't planned. By the time the weather turned poor, the students who couldn't handle it would stay indoors. Koga and Ayame were doing warm ups with their groups together, while Inuyasha took his small group to the far side of the track.

"Alright, Runts- er, kids," he corrected himself. Even after all these years, he would still sometimes slip. "We're gonna play a game, it's a simple test of speed. All ya need to do is run the goal post," Inuyasha explained, pointing to the goal post at the far end of the football field. "Once you are there, I want you to touch your hand to the grass, and then run back. The first one to return is the winner of this game. Understand?"

The children all nodded, looking very excited as they waited for Inuyasha to clear the front of the running area so they could play. He looked at them, saw they were about ready, so he brought the whistle to his mouth. He counted to three, and blew to start the race. The other youkai students in the class were all from fairly low grade clans, so he wasn't surprised to see them at the same pace as the other students. The leaders still had the race going fairly quickly, mind you.

What did surprise him is that Aimi and Shippo were among the front runners. Shippo grinned at Aimi as they reached the far end of the field, and they both leaned down to touch the grass, and race back. He watched in amazement as Shippo, that damn Kitsune, threw a spinning top in Aimi's direction. Brat. Inuyasha had already tensed with the need to run to her aid, when the giant top burst to life directly in her path.

He stopped as he saw the girl leap and clear the obstacle without losing a beat. As soon as her feet touched back down on the turf the girl picked up her speed to catch her friend, only narrowly avoiding another illusion that Shippo had unleashed. Her thin frame angled so low to the ground, her silvery ponytail swept gracefully on the grass, and small arms drove furiously at her sides. The speed and force of her motions were the only factors which kept the girl from wiping out onto the track surrounding the field. Her surefootedness brought her swerving up behind the boy, ducking around his right, and weaving to cross in front of him.

Shippo laughed at their game, and gave her a congratulatory pat as they crossed the finish line. Inuyasha stood dumbfounded for a moment, staring at the young pair, feeling defeated. There was _no way_ he could pair Aimi with Rin. Soon after several youkai and hanyou students came up behind them, and coming in slowly were Rin and the other hanpa.

"You there," he pointed to the rotund child, "come here."

The young boy, who was still breathing heavily from the race, shyly crept over to Inuyasha as if he were going to be scolded. He seemed a little more cowardly than what he really should be, but that may be because Inuyasha occasionally had that effect on children.

"What's your name," he ordered, as he kneeled down to his eye level.

"Hachi," he replied shyly. His body was round, and when he looked closer, he noticed that the boy had feint markings around his eyes. A light grey set crossing the bridge of his nose, like he was wearing a mask.

"Tanuki, eh?" he asked, and the boy nodded. A devious grin appeared on Inuyasha's face, and the boy leaned back from his evil leer. He would be a perfect partner for Rin, since he was still too young to say anything... inappropriate. That particular breed of youkai, although extremely annoying in their older ages, tended to be rather timid, and less than average compared to other youkai. And the best part, it would annoy his own brother to no end that he paired Rin with a Tanuki. That always put a smile on his face.

Now that he had his 'Rin situation' figured out, he turned to focus on the rest of the group, who had since lost interest in him. After rolling his eyes at their lack of attention and had them return to the line. Instructions were given for another round of the racing game, this time without using any tricks or illusions. After they were lined up, he gave a quick shrill chirp on his whistle, and watched them take off. This time, Aimi had a good lead on Shippo and she skid to the finish with a loud laugh.

So Aimi could at least keep up with these whelps. The wheels in his head turned a bit, and he released the students to play a little while he went to discuss the matter with Ayame and Koga.

"Why are you so interested in this girl anyways, Mutt?" Koga said in a bored tone.

"Keh, it's none of your business, and who are you to question me anyways... ASSistant?" Inuyasha jeered back.

Ms. Wolfgang pinched the bridge of her nose, a slight vein in her forehead pulsing annoyingly. After another thirty seconds of bickering, she smacked them both upside the head. After receiving dirty looks from her peers, she just huffed. "I have two students you can pair her against, and I think that in Koga's group there are at least two others. Although, it doesn't seem fair to pair a five year old against a ten year old."

"I'm not expecting her to win, I just want to see how she fares," Inuyasha explained. "I think an obstacle course is the best option. What do you think?"

The two others nodded, and went to collect the students that they had mentioned. He wanted the course to be simple so that Aimi would understand, but difficult enough that he could actually see her agility put to the test. The course ran a lap around the field; Koga was currently setting up two sheer wooden hurdles, and a short set of slalom poles, and marking two long jumps.

"Alright kids, if we call your name, I want you to line up. We're going to have a little competition, just to see how the best of each class does," Inuyasha called out. Ayame walked over and handed him a clipboard, and a stopwatch. "When I call your name, come to stand next to me."

"Casey Rolland; Markus Stamps; Kaoru Matashou; Sally Givensburg; Aimi Akitoki and Shippo Takata. Line up here, and watch Koga. He is going to show you the course."

"What! I am? You lazy son of a... " Koga growled, but complied. Lining up at the starting line, he waited for Inuyasha to blow the whistle. He ran forward until he came to the first hurdle, and jumped over it, next he ran until he came to the first left turn, and then the next obstacle was a long jump. After clearing that hurdle he ran, and navigated between the slalom poles, then again another turn, and another long jump. He finished the run after the last two turns, and the final obstacle. When he crossed the line, Inuyasha blew the whistle again.

"So, did you see what you are supposed to do?" He asked, and the six children nodded their heads. "I don't want anyone to get hurt, so the race is one at a time. Please get in line, we'll start with Casey."

Each child lined up, and he had them run the course, carefully keeping track of their time. Each student seemed to do well, with only minor faults. Aimi tripped at one point in the slalom, but still finished quickly.

Each student did very well; when he compared his times, he was amazed at the results of Aimi's attempt. Even with her fall the time was only slightly slower than the fastest. She was going to need a lot of training, because one day she would be a very strong youkai. He dismissed the overwhelming pride he felt as a result of being her teacher.

[:::]

Once PE class concluded the students were walking, double file, back to their classrooms. Shippo and Aimi walked next to each other, and were whispering the recent details of their plan.

"Did he say anything about the painting you did of your Mommy?" Shippo whispered in her direction, while his little was paw cupped around his mouth.

"I showed him, but he didn't recognize her. He told me 'Why Aimi, what a pretty horse you drew', but I don't know why. I didn't draw a horse," she answered sadly. "What about you, were you able to say anything about the nice things your Mommy said about my Mommy?"

"Yeah, when we were doing the blocks, I told him that your Mommy doesn't scream into the telephone when she answers it," he said, trying to think of the other things he had said to try and get him to think of Kagome. "Oh, and I also said that your Mommy makes really good sugar cookies. I really liked those."

"Me too," Aimi giggled, but it was followed with a dramatic sigh. "I don't think our plan is working Shippo. I think for Mr. Takahashi to 'like like' my Mommy, he needs to play with her. How would I know if I wanted to marry you if I hadn't played with you first?"

"That's a great idea Aimi!" Shippo squealed, earning a 'shhh' from Ms. Wolfgang. "Aren't we going to the park this weekend? Let's invite him!"

"Oh! Oh! Yeah! _And_ I'll have my Mommy make some of those sticky sugar cream candies! He'll 'like like' her for sure if he tries them," Aimi giggled, excited about their new plan. They had even broken out into a slow sort of childish skipping, while still attempting to stay in line.

[:::]

Inuyasha ushered the children back into class, and began to take a quick attendance before wrapping up his lessons for the day. There was only about an hour left of school time, but he wanted to play the 'recite your phone number' game before it got the end of the day. He looked up from his desk, and was a bit surprised to find two pairs of eyes watching him very closely.

However, after he realized who it was, it wasn't as big a shock. Ever since he had made up with Kagome, Aimi and Shippo had been at it non-stop to get him to admit he had feelings for her. He didn't know what to say, even if he had admitted to it, learning about his feelings from her five year old daughter was not the way for the woman to find out.

He barely even knew her anyways; he _wanted_ to know her better, there was no denying it, but she was never around anymore. Since the day that they had finally made amends, she had picked Aimi up from the curb of the school. There really wasn't any reason for her to come into his classroom to get the girl, so he couldn't expect it.

Then of course, he was so nervous about how he should feel about her. After a good amount of _thinking_ about his _feelings_, he realized even though she looked like Kikyo, that wasn't what he was drawn to. The problem was, what would she say when she found out about Kikyo? When he first met her his first words were practically 'Hey, you look just like my ex'. Then of course, like a woman, she would jump to the worst possible conclusion. That he would be trying to fill in some void by using a replica woman. He scowled at that thought, women could be so frustrating.

Then there was the more obvious problem, her feelings for him. Sure, he noticed a bit of arousal in her scent, but that could have been from anything. It certainly wasn't strong enough to insinuate anything more than she thought he had a hot body. Did she think he had a hot body? That's a good thing, right? It wasn't like he could read her feelings anyways, and he still wasn't positive about her relationship status. Was she with someone? Or was she single?

He shook his head; the time to think about Kagome, and if she thought he had a hot body, was not during his class while instructing five year old children. He could think about it later, and probably end up depressed. Oh well, such is life.

He rounded the children up into a circle, using their desk chairs, and brought out his flashcards with the children's main phone number. In the old days it was easy, since everyone had a single home line, but now most parents had cell phones as well, sometimes more than one. Hell, even a few of his kids even had cell phones! He would just use the phone number listed as the main on the contact form.

One at a time he called off a name, and the child would rattle off their phone number. Some got it right, some took a few minutes, or attempts. Eventually he had all of them getting the number on the first try, and he was pretty pleased. Only a few more times with this game and he would be satisfied that they could at least call home if they ever got lost.

He found himself blushing a little bit as he called Aimi, knowing that the number she was reciting was indeed Kagome's phone number. He could call her, if that weren't completely and entirely creepy to do. He wanted to anyways, and it took a lot of restraint this past week.

"Did I get it right Mr. Takahashi?" he was broken out of his thoughts.

"Could you say it once more Aimi, I didn't catch the last few numbers," he lied. How stupid of him, dazing out like that when he just said he needed to leave those thoughts at home, where they belonged. He could also take a cold shower there. Yes, it was a good place to leave those sorts of thoughts.

"867 - 5309," Aimi recited.

"Very good. Alright class, that's it for the day. Clean up your desks, and cubbies. When you're done, you can play until your bus arrives, or your parents pick you up," he said, stretching as he got out of his undersized chair. He hated the low seating in the kindergarten classes, but they were supposed to make the students feel 'less intimidated'. Keh.

He took his seat, back at his nearly normal sized desk, and began shuffling through a handful of papers. He was startled to the point of jumping when he looked up from his desk to find Aimi and Shippo well within his personal space. Leaning back a little bit, and taking a deep breath to calm himself, he glared at the youths.

"Are you already done cleaning?" he said skeptically. They must be up to something.

"Mr. Takahashi, do you do things?" Aimi asked, seeming very serious.

"Do things? Like what? I do stuff," he answered defensively.

"I mean, do you do things other than work?" she said again, still fairly vague.

"Of course, Aimi, I like to do lots of things. Why are you asking?"

"Well, Shippo and I weren't sure if you did stuff. Since you do, we wanted to know… Would you want to do stuff with us?" Aimi asked innocently.

Inuyasha rolled his eyes, hanging out with 5 year olds, when he was his age, was only appropriate when you were their teacher. Even then there were plenty of teachers who could make that inappropriate too.

"Well, kids, as much as I like you as students, I don't think I could do things with you outside of school," he said softly. He didn't want to bruise their egos.

"Why?" Shippo inquired.

"Shippo, mainly because I'm so much older than you are, we don't have a lot in common," he explained.

"That's dumb, me and my Daddy do lots of fun stuff together," Shippo said earnestly.

"And that's right, we saw you at the park the time you fell out of the tree, Mr. Takahashi. We like going to the park too, and you were there. See we already have things in common," Aimi said rationally.

"Aimi, just get on with it, what do you kids want," he quipped. "And don't say 'dumb', Shippo, that isn't nice."

"Well I'm going to the park Saturday morning, with Shippo and his Mommy and Daddy. They make me nervous sometimes," she said, batting her eyes at him. Oh yeah, she was up to something. "And I thought it would be easier if you were there."

"And would your mother happen to be there too?" he questioned.

"She might," Aimi said, not looking him in the eye.

"We'll see," he answered. So the kids wanted him to meet them at the park this Saturday, and Kagome would be there.

Both of them squealed 'yay', and were off into the rest of his students, running laps around the desks. He got up to scold the class for being rowdy, and went to take them back outside. The cool air would be good for him anyways.

[:::]

From the window of his class he watched his last student leave in the car of her mother. He could hear her giggling, even when her small face was hidden behind a curtain of silver. Kagome had yet again avoided returning to his classroom, which wasn't a surprise. She hadn't set foot in the school since the previous week, and their last talk at the curb. Why was it bothering him though? Sure, he thought she was attractive, and that she smelled great, and drove every one of his senses into overdrive... Oh who was he kidding, he was dying to see her again.

Apparently her phobia was stronger than her desire to see him again. No, no. He shouldn't jump to conclusions. He didn't have any fears on that level, so how could he understand what she went through. She was a very proud and strong woman, yet he had seen her reduced to a huddling mess in front of the school. Just because she hadn't come back to see him again didn't necessarily mean that she didn't _want_ to see him again.

He walked back to his desk, and picked up his supplies, locking his door on the way out.

Why would she even think he was even interested in her like that? Really, had he given her any reason to think otherwise? Yelling at her and going 'Edward Cullen' on her when she's too close doesn't really help his chances. Starting up his car he decided to quit thinking about the damn woman; visions of her would always muddle his thoughts anyways, causing him to lose focus on what was important. Like driving.

"Hey, watch it lady!" he screamed out his window at the old lady who was crossing the street. Yes, he really needed to focus more on the present, rather than on other... soft, warm, beautiful... sultry.. intoxicating.. er, things. Damn it, he was practically purring a just the thought of her. The wench was driving him nuts, and he didn't even know if she even cared to see him again.

When he reached his home, Inuyasha tossed his coat and crate onto the couch, and slumped down beside it. His mind went numb for a few moments before he began thinking about his school day. He was doing his best to not think of his rather boring plans for the evening when he heard his phone begin to ring.

"Takahashi," he answered quickly, checking the caller ID on the phone's receiver jack. It was unknown. Great.

_"Inuyasha, it is your brother, Sesshoumaru,"_ he heard the monotone response on the other end of the line. Even with his somber voice, Inuyasha rolled his eyes at his brother's implied 'grand announcement'. Like it was the most wonderful thing to receive a call from 'This Sesshoumaru'.

"You're my only brother, I know what your name is," he said, attempting to convey his deadpan expression through the phone.

_"It is only proper to introduce myself, half breed. The purpose of my call is to inquire about the development of my ward in your Physical Education training. How is her progress?" _His cold, and stoic voice barely relented any of his interest in the topic. Although, Inuyasha knew well enough that his brother was extremely keen on the girl. This was undoubtedly true or he wouldn't have bothered calling at all.

"She's doing fine. I was even able to get her a partner for the paired exercises," Inuyasha answered, barely able to retain the chuckle caught in his throat. This phone call would definitely brighten his mood.

_"I see, and I assume you weren't foolish enough to pair her with a male?" _Sesshoumaru said, not attempting to hide his boorish tone.

"Oh, dear brother," he drawled. "I'm sorry to inform you that Rin is the only mortal who enrolled in the class. Instead, I needed to pair her with a hanpa. But, the only suitable one in the class happened to be male." Inuyasha smirked as he heard the growl forming on the other end of the line. It was like Christmas morning.

_"You are fully aware of how unacceptable that is Inuyasha. You will find her a suitable partner, I refuse to have her sullied by the hands of a young boy, a hanpa no less,"_ he roared on the other end.

"Sesshoumaru, there are no other mortals in the class, the only option _is _a hanpa. There are only two, and the other is an Inu descendant who is _not_ suitable. The only other solution," he paused for effect, dying with excitement at the fury he was about to bring forth in his brother, "was the Tanuki hanpa."

You see, normally his iceberg of a brother was the picture of stoic perfection, that is unless something happened to Rin. For Inuyasha it was like a game, what could he do to Sesshoumaru to make him snap? A very challenging, but rewarding game.

_"THE WHAT! A... A… a Tanuki? Brother, are you insane? The taint he will inflict on her young, innocent mind, it will be irreversible! She will be scarred for life, you moron!" _seethed his brother, and the line went silent for only a moment.

_"I see I have no choice. I must kill you. It is the only way to rectify this problem."_

The smirk never left Inuyasha's face, if anything his grin only got larger as he listened to the muffled insults and distressed breathing of his brother. The sound of items being knocked over, and his brother's pounding footsteps, filled the void in the conversation as Sesshoumaru paced his home.

_"You disgraceful, *mumble mumble* worthless excuse for an Inu,"_ he muttered. _"Don't move, I am on my way to dismember you."_

When the line disconnected, Inuyasha burst into a fit of laughter which could probably be heard all the way down the street. He put up the rest of his books, and quickly changed his clothes, before grabbing his laptop bag, and heading back out the door. No way was he going to be home when Sesshoumaru showed up, sword in hand, ready to slice and dice.

[:::]

Later that evening, Inuyasha had found himself at his favorite tea house. Alright, maybe it was his favorite because it was the only tea house within fifty miles. And maybe it had free wi-fi, and maybe he was kind of cheap. Whatever the reason, whenever Inuyasha left his house, for whatever reason, at the end of the night, he would find himself slurping at bubble tea and ramen (not necessarily in that order) at the same shop.

So maybe he shouldn't have been surprised when he heard the door jingle, only to reveal the next patron of the shop; who happened to be his now composed, and collected brother. He paled at the emotionless facade of his psychotic elder; and when the dauntingly tall figure coolly sat down at his table dread flooded into the pit of his stomach. The weight of the chair caused it to screech, sliding slowly and menacingly along the concrete floor, as he pulled out from the table.

Inuyasha pinned his ears to his head, and pretended to not notice Sesshoumaru, and just ducked his head a little bit closer to his laptop.

"That was a cowardly escape you made Inuyasha. Not unexpected from a half-breed; though I must admit your skills of evasion have improved," his brother said as his golden eyes pierced through the laptop, directly into Inuyasha's brain.

"I don't know what you're talkin' about. I didn't really think you meant 'don't move', when you said 'don't move'," he replied sarcastically.

"I have put that issue behind me brother. I have only followed up with you to let you know I have given you an extension on your life."

"How gracious of you."

"Yes, I am magnanimous," he replied, either not noticing the sarcasm, or ignoring it. "So you mentioned you have another Inu youkai enrolled in the class, a hanpa. Who is her sire?" he said with slight interest. Sesshoumaru found himself to be rather sly when it came to inter-clan relations. To find out there was an Inu in the school district without his knowledge, would probably be a dig to his ego.

"I'm not sure actually. She's adopted, the father was listed as John Doe, according to the mother," he answered. He made his best attempt to sound less interested in the subject than he really was.

"Adopted? Unbelievable, no Inu would allow one of their own to be broken from the pack," his brother analyzed. "It must be obvious how much importance we put on family relationships. I mean, we kept you around, that should be the perfect example."

"Keh, you're such an ass," Inuyasha jeered, looking again at his laptop. Sesshoumaru just wanted to pay him back for not waiting around for his 'punishment', so he was throwing useless insults at him.

"This may be true," he picked up, "But if I am the ass, you are the ass's ass."

"Clever," Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "Back to the topic at hand, you haven't heard of any offspring in the other clan being born, or put up for adoption?"

"I have not. I will contact the alpha of the other clan, and see if there is any information they have kept from me on the subject. I will get back to you," he said as he stood from his chair. "Inuyasha, when you return home, bludgeon your face with a baseball bat, as punishment for avoiding me earlier tonight."

"I'll get right on that," Inuyasha answered dryly.

"Alright, I am glad we had this conversation," he said and turned to leave. His brother could be so odd, how were they even be related?

[:::]

"What are you doing back here, Mr. Takahashi?" Inuyasha lunged backwards as if burned from a flame when he heard the voice above him. "Did you see a ghost? You sure look like you saw a ghost, Mr. Takahashi."

Inuyasha glared up at the girl, who was occupying the nearest branch of the tree which he had been strategically placed. How had he not noticed her approach? He really needed to get his head out of the clouds.

"Aimi, what are you doing up in the tree?" he called to the girl. With outstretched hands he gestured to her, which she understood to climb down to him. Once she was near the ground with him, he resumed his... er, people watching.

Yeah, that's all it was. He wasn't doing anything creepy, like Miroku may have. Although, when he spoke to Miroku about this day, he had given him a similar idea; not that he would have ever took it, not in a million years. He was not spying on Kagome... from a distance... across the park that Shippo and Aimi had invited him to. Yeah, nothing like that.

"Well, Shippo and I were worried that you might not come today to play with us. He said that if you didn't it made you a poo-poo head, but I said.. 'Mr. Takahashi is _not_ a poo-poo head'," she said proudly. "So I decided to look around, I thought you might be hiding or something. I was right too!"

"I was not hiding, Aimi," he muttered his correction.

"But, you were behind that tree, and you were staring at my Mommy," she said, and he blanched in response.

"I was not staring at your mother," he mumbled. "I just happened to be looking in her direction. Keh, I didn't really even see her."

"Really? How could you not see her? She is the only person over there," the girl questioned.

"You know, I think that is enough questions about your mom," he finished sternly. This day was not turning out the way he had intended. He had never been bad with women, and had planned on walking casually to the park, where he would meet his expecting friends, and students. However, when he reached the park, instead taking the normal route, and talking to the woman, he instead took the 'when they find you, you're going to look like a pervert' route, and watched her from behind a tree.

[:::]

The girl glared at him in response, which he returned with a quick bark, and she shied away. The two sat silently for a moment and the wheels in Aimi's head began to turn. Did Mr. Takahashi really not like her Mommy? She was pretty sure that her Mommy was the most beautiful woman in the world. There was the woman on the shampoo commercial that was very pretty too, but her Mommy was even more beautiful-er.

What if he didn't like her? Then her Mommy would be alone... forever. Her Mommy would never get married, and then she could never get married. And then her Mommy would be the 'old maid', and would be stuck in a card game the rest of her life. Her thoughts continued down this morbidly skewed path for a moment, and it wasn't long before she started to feel the sting of tears in her eyes.

"Aimi... Aimi," she heard out of the corner of her thoughts. Mr. Takahashi had been calling to her, and when she looked up, he looked painfully worried, and … uncomfortable. He was panicking, attempting to sooth her, "Er... don't cry, please don't cry."

She sniffed, and began to wipe away the tears which were hiding behind her puffy lids. She heard her mother calling her in the distance, and as soon as the sound hit her ears, she also noticed a strange smell in the air. It wasn't a bad smell, and it was somewhat familiar.

"Aimi, where are you..." she heard again. Her Mommy was looking for her, she must have been away too long. Hopping up from her place next to Inuyasha, she peeked out from behind the tree and began to flag down her mother. The scent in the air was getting stronger, and her nose twitched as it attempted to identify the source. When she turned to look at her teacher, he appeared to be very nervous.

"Aimi, I was worried about you, don't run off where I can't see you," she softly scolded the girl as she came around the trunk of the tree. "Why were you over here anywa-" She cut herself off. As soon as her Mommy saw her teacher the smell increased again. What was it? When had she smelled it before?

"Oh, Mr. Takaha- I mean, Inuyasha," she stuttered seeming very surprised. "I uh... it's nice to see you. What are you... um, doing... back here?"

"Kagome..." he gulped, and Aimi didn't miss the way her Mommy's breath hitched in her throat. "I was... ha, uh... I was, er..." he stuttered as well.

[:::]

He couldn't think, the woman's scent was driving him insane. How could he think around her, but then he noticed he had yet to come up with an answer, and grab the nearest thing.

"I was getting pine cones," he answered, and began to collect a few loose pine cones which were scattered about different areas of the clearing. "For a school project," he defended, when he noticed her skeptical look.

"Ahh, I see. Well, would you like some help?" she offered kindly. "Aimi and I would be glad to help you."

Inuyasha chuckled nervously, but nodded, and the three of them began to pick up pine cones, and place them in a pile. After they had a large grouping of them, much larger than he should need for his class, they all stared at it expectedly.

"I uh... forgot the basket," he answered embarrassed. "You know, just leave them, and I'll get it in a little bit." Inuyasha looked down, and noticed that Aimi was tugging at his shirt. "Yeah, what is it?"

"Mr. Takahashi, what is that smell?" she said.

"Keh, I don't know what you mean Aimi, what smell," Inuyasha said quickly, not really liking the direction this conversation was going. Oh, he knew what she was talking about, but there were so _many_ smells going through his senses right now, that educating the young youkai on this lesson was totally out of the question,.

"You can't smell it? Mommy, do you smell it? It's like that time we came to the park, and there were those two teenagers who we caught kissing," she said, her voice still unsure as she tried to figure out what that smell was. Inuyasha only groaned, and turned away from the pair as Aimi went about her investigation, not noticing the adult's uncomfortable auras.

"Aimi, you know... why don't you just leave that alone for now," Kagome laughed nervously. She didn't seem to like the way this conversation was going either. "Inuyasha, would you like to sit with me? Miroku, and his family are here as well. Maybe you would want to catch up with some friends."

"Keh, alright, I guess I could for a little while," he huffed, attempting to sound indifferent. However, if he had a tail, it would be wagging.

Once they met up with the other adults, Sango and Miroku conveniently walked away with Shippo and Aimi to play at a swing set a good distance away. That left Inuyasha and Kagome sitting quietly until Kagome decided to get the ball rolling.

"So, Inuyasha, level with me," Kagome leaned nearer to him with a sly expression on her face. "Were you really here today to pick up some pine cones?"

Now, considering that Inuyasha was a mature adult, his cheeks should not have gotten as red as they did just at that moment. He clinched his claws into the wood of the bench he was sitting on to keep his hands from fiddling nervously.

Clearing his throat, with an embarrassing and unintentional whimper, he shook his head. "I came by, your daughter and her friend invited me."

"Oh really," she said, and her confidence was making Inuyasha annoyed. How come this woman could be so casual, and comfortable? He was the one who was good at being in control. Women were usually crawling at his feet. "I'll have to thank her. I had wanted to speak with you lately, but I just couldn't get myself back into that school. Small hallways."

He looked up at her, and noticed that her beautiful scent was a tad nervous, but her eyes only shown a bit of curiosity, and interest. He couldn't tell what her real feelings were, but she was happy to be talking with him. That was a plus.

"Yeah, I had wondered about that. You know, my room has a back door," he said with a smirk, feeling his confidence build.

"You would ask me to sneak into your room through the back door?" she laughed, a very pleasing sound. She smirked back at him with mirth in her eyes, "Scandalous."

"With how late you are to pick up Aimi, there wouldn't be anyone around to notice," he teased.

"Well maybe I'll do that. You seem to have taken a liking to her, from what she has said about school. She's practically teacher's pet," she said, placing an elbow on the table, and leaning her chin on it. "So you wouldn't mind watching her a little late in the evening."

"Keh, well not every night, but the girl doesn't bother me," he scoffed.

"I'd hope not, I can only imagine what you would do to the kids you don't like," she joked.

He laughed, and looked up to see that she was staring at him. When he caught her, her cheeks lit up a bit. He decided it was an opportune time to check his suspicions about her relationship status. He steeled his nerves, and put on his best indifferent expression before he began.

"If you don't mind me askin', where is Aimi's father? Of all this time, you haven't mentioned anything about him."

She chuckled a little, and squared off her stance to face him properly, "Inuyasha, I'm pretty sure we have already talked about this. I don't know who her father is."

Was she avoiding the question, or was she truly misunderstanding him? "I meant her current father, I know it isn't usually handled for children to be adopted by single parents, and her last name is not Higurashi." He instantly regretted prying into her personal life after the sad, and shocked expression donned on her pretty face.

"You mean my ex, well he's sort of out of the picture now. It's just me and Aimi now." She said as she looked away from him, the afternoon sun highlighting the soft skin of her cheeks.

"That's pathetic, when a man leaves his family. It's really hard for me, bein' a teacher, and seein' kids whose families have been torn apart," he said, off the shoulder. He hadn't intended on being so cold, or open. It just really irritated him to think that anyone could abandon Aimi, or Kagome.

"It's a long story, and it isn't pretty, or happy," she replied. "I don't know, I guess it really isn't even a good time for me to be talking about it. Some new things have happened recently, and I'm really just getting used to it."

He frowned when he thought of her alone, and her troubles, but at the same time she hadn't mentioned another man in her life. That was at least a bit of good news for him. She obviously had baggage though, but really, most adults did. That is just what happens. Find a partner who has learned and lived, or find one who hasn't. Either way, mistakes happen, and are learned from. Sometimes it is better to have someone who understands the world a bit better. That's where he was, and he surely wasn't interested in a girl who thought that a relationship didn't take work.

Kagome found a small smile after her quick discussion revolving around her love life. Maybe she caught onto his initial question.

"Inuyasha, were you just checking the waters?" she said boldly.

He choked at her words, eyes wide and flustered. Did she need to be so forward, at least he had tried to be nonchalant?

"*Ahem* well, maybe," he replied, his body warming at the somewhat embarrassing confession. "I, er.. was concerned about some things Aimi had mentioned in class, and just wanted to make sure she wasn't trying to..." he trailed off.

"Trying to what?" she urged skeptically.

"Well, I just wanted to make sure that she wasn't trying to find a replacement boyfriend for one she may not like."

"You mean, you were checking on my personal life to make sure that Aimi wasn't getting parented by some deadbeat?" she fumed. Shit. He really hadn't been trying to make her mad, what the hell.

"Keh, well you never know. Some women aren't the brightest, and pick some real asshole boyfriends," he said plainly.

"What you mean like your past girlfriends?" she spat.

"Yeah. I mean... What! Of course not!" he sputtered. "My past girlfriends did not date assholes. I am not an asshole. Miroku," he called to his friend. "Tell Kagome I am not an asshole."

"Whatever you say Inuyasha," Miroku responded playfully. Sango and he had been playing with Shippo and Aimi. He was playing the priest, officiating a mock wedding between the two, while Sango played the crying mother. Shippo grandly bowed to Aimi as she walked down the jungle gym staircase, and descended to be 'wed'.

"Keh, thanks for the help, _Bouzu_," he said exasperated.

"Well, I think I've had enough fun for today," Kagome sighed sarcastically. Wait, no... Shit, she wasn't supposed to leave, they were supposed to have fun today, and talk. Get to know each other. Find out they were in love, that kind of shit. Get back here wench!

Before he had a chance to think of a smooth retort to convince her to stay, she had already rounded up Aimi. She said her goodbyes to Miroku and Sango, and then left the park entirely, without a further glance in his direction. Although he did notice Aimi turn to look back at him sadly, and waved. He returned the gesture, and slumped down on the bench as Miroku came to sit next to him.

Sango walked up and bopped him on the head, "What the heck did you say to upset her?"

"Something stupid, I'm sure," Shippo said, nodding knowingly.

"Shippo, that's not nice," Inuyasha and Sango said in unison. She glared at the Inu.

"Well, you had better fix whatever you did. Kagome's a nice girl, she doesn't need you being so mean to her," she scolded.

"Keh, what the heck did I do? I can't help it that women can't understand basic English and then take whatever I say the wrong way," he whined crossing his arms with his nose upturned away from her. Problem was, in doing so he didn't notice her scowl, and clinched fist.

She reeled back, and swung hard at the hanyou, while her husband and son both flinched at the impact. Inuyasha fell soundly to the ground, rubbing the sore spot on his shoulder, where she had landed the punch.

"Woman, what the hell? What was that for?"

"For being an idiot. Come on Miroku, Shippo, we're going home."

"Keh, wenches..." he said as they walked away, Sango turning around to glare at him once more, causing him to flinch. Damn it... what was he going to do?

[:::]

One... Two... Oh, there's Three.

Gods, why was he counting the discolorations on his ceiling? Really... Couldn't he focus for once? This was important.

Two weeks had passed since the incident at the park. Kagome had yet to sneak into his classroom like he had suggested her to do. Of course, he knew why; she was an emotional female. But, she was also mad at him. Why did he always have to falter around that woman?

Really, it was getting unbearable. Between his constant thoughts trailing to her face, and body... scent… smile… laugh… Damn, everything and anything about her; and Aimi's ever present reminder of Kagome, he couldn't take it much longer. He needed to see her again, if for no other reason, than to just get his fix of her scent. It was so amazing, he wondered how he had lived without it. She was important to him, and he knew that she held a special spell on him, that wasn't going to be released easily.

He even found himself even more willing of Aimi to sit with him, and talk about Kagome, which she always did. All of her belongings smelled of her mother as well, which was a bonus, and he had to work extra hard as to not steal any of the items for himself. In no world would that EVER be appropriate, and if he had been caught, there would be no chance of seeing the girl's mother in a positive setting. He would also lose his job if he was caught stealing from a student.

And Aimi, on top of keeping his parental instincts in constant over drive (which troubled him, all to itself), also never stop speaking about Kagome. He enjoyed it though, he felt like he was getting a cheat sheet, even though it was a bit biased. Aimi adored her, and never had negative things to say, at least intentionally. Everything she said was in a positive light. It was obvious she loved the woman she had come to know as her mother.

He was proud to learn that Aimi knew that Kagome was not her natural mother, and that she didn't hold ill will against whoever her real mother was. Kagome taught her that when a mother puts a child up for adoption, it is because she loves her as well. That she wanted to give her a chance at life she could never have had otherwise. In this way, Aimi was also able to hold love for her real mother as well.

Kagome really was amazing, and he wanted to get to know her so much more, but when he was around her... he was an idiot. He needed to fix this.

And that was where he was at: lying on his bed, his cordless phone in his hand, while he stared at the ceiling. In his other hand was the card from his school with Kagome's phone number. He was going to man up, apologize for offending her, and ask her out.

This was possible. Not weird. Not inappropriate. He wanted to see her again for all the right reasons. He was interested in her, so why not pursue her? At least until he knew how she felt. He was going to do it. But really, after staring at the phone for forty five minutes, you would think he'd have dialed the damn thing by now.

Man up already.

* * *

**[~A:|:N~]**

**8035**

_**Vocab Time**_

_**Tanuki – **This animal is the butt of many jokes; mainly pertaining to the males unusually large genitalia. They can be seen swinging them around, using them to do everyday and extraordinary tasks alike. Google it, pretty hilarious if you ask me._

_**Bouzu **__– Derogatory term for a priest/monk_

_**Edward Cullen – **__Wasn't he like throwing up when he first met Bella? Lol… so sauvé, just like Inuyasha!_

So, I hope nobody minded the double chappy ^_^ There was just so much I wanted to include from his perspective, and felt like the next chapter could easily be a double as well. So no worries, double the pleasure, double the fun, right! Oh, and that 'recite your phone number' game, I remember doing that in Kindergarten, lol.

Anyways, thanks for all the reviews and such. We're nearly done, phew!

- Foa


	8. Youkai third base

My Girl

by Foayasha

_Disclaimer: The epic of Inuyasha, while wonderful, does not belong to me. Thus I cannot, and do not, claim to own any of the characters in this short story... but, I can take cred. For the one who is suspiciously absent in this chapter, lol._

_Shagsthedustmop is over 9000 for beta'ing my fic._

**My Girl Chpt 7 – Youkai third base**

**Another double play!**

* * *

Kagome grit her teeth in annoyance, glaring at the object of her discontent. Being interrupted while in the midst of a glorious artistic rush was more than enough to behead the offender. The project she was working on was difficult to get engrossed in, and when she finally started to let the juices flow, the powers above thought that just wouldn't do. Someone just had to drop in and ruin it for her.

Ugh, there it went again, the shrill artificial tone continuously beckoning her. Being firmly seated at her computer chair, she was reluctant to acknowledge it. Although, she knew it was inevitable. She would need lean to the furthest side of her desk, and answer the phone. Who made phone calls at five in the evening? It should be illegal.

The phone rang once more; it seemed louder than the times before.

"Fine, fine," she murmured to herself. She braced her elbows on the side of her desk, and leaned in as far as she could to reach the phone. It was placed at the far end of her desk, on a mound of schematics. Whoever left it there should really think about placing it back in the charger... She picked up the small black receiver, and looked at its plain green display, and nearly dropped the item when she read it.

[**Incoming Call**: Takahashi, Inuyasha | 867 - 6548]

_Holy crap_, he had her phone number!

Why on earth was he calling her? Why was her heart racing _that _fast? He wasn't that interesting, or attractive, or delicious…

Whatever he was calling her for, she could handle it... She got a chill thinking of his lulling voice; harsh, yet surprisingly sexy and wicked. Getting a call from him could be a good thing right? It wasn't like he was calling her to yell at her, or insinuate something rude again? Wait... he _is_ an asshole. He probably_ was_ calling to yell at her.

Well, we'll see about that. She thought with finality. She set the phone down as it rang its ending tone, which in her mind seemed to be like a whimper. Maybe she should have answered it. Probably not, he was a jerk after all, and their last encounter was proof enough. What had she gotten mad about? Who even remembers anymore, it was like any time she was with that man, she couldn't think past her hormones.

Even though her mind was telling her she did the right thing, she still had her doubts. They had flirted a bit at the park, and she had to admit it was fun. There were even times she thought about sneaking up to his room to talk to him after school. Of course several of those thoughts took place while she was in bed; she would sneak up to his room at all hours of the night. What reasons he would still be at the school at that time, with bottles of wine no less, or why she would be going to the school in just a nightie... well, she didn't really rationalize. But they were some darn fun fantasies.

It wasn't like he thought of her like that anyways. He practically threw himself away from her anytime she was near. It seemed like just being close to her was enough to make him want to vomit, or pass out. His face would flush, then pale, then flush once more. At the park she had watched him carefully, and for a short time, she actually believed that she had misread him, and that maybe… just maybe, he was interested… in her.

She sighed, and now here he was calling her, late on a Thursday. Okay, well it wasn't _that_ late, but she was still working, and didn't have time to be interrupted by the rude man. Right? She had a lot of work to do, and really, she didn't even care if he called back or not. She liked her peace and quiet, and didn't give a rats butt if he wanted to speak with her. Most likely to yell at her, or sling a few insults. Who needs that?

When the phone rang again, she 'Eeped', but didn't hesitate to scramble to pick it up. Clutched tightly in her grasp, she looked at the ID: Inuyasha Takahashi. He obviously didn't believe her to not be home or unavailable if he was calling back so quickly. It rang a second time.

Should she answer? Oh Gods, she wanted to talk to him. She moaned to herself, and bit her lower lip as she slowly moved her thumb to the green 'answer' button. Her eyes wide, and if a youkai were in the room, probably would have smelt her apprehension. Well, any youkai living on her street could probably smell it, to be honest. Upon hearing the beep, signaling the connection, she cautiously lifted the receiver to her ear.

"This is Kagome, may I ask who's calling," she said, attempting to keep the nervousness out of her voice. Did she fail? Probably.

_"Hi Kagome? It's Inuyasha Takahashi,"_ he answered, sounding calm, and pleasant. His voice _did_ crack slightly upon saying her name. It was a warm feeling though, whenever she heard him say it. As if he treasured the very syllables of its composition. It made her feel oddly safe, why is that?

"Um, hello Inuyasha," she answered, really unsure of what to say to him. Was he calling about a problem with Aimi? Or, should she dare to hope he may have been calling to apologize for being rude a couple of weeks ago? There was silence after the initial greetings were out of the way which caused her palms to begin to sweat. Finding the absence of conversation unbearable, she ventured, "So, erm... Can I help you with something?"

_"Yes! I mean, yes,"_ he replied hastily. She could hear him clear his throat, and then he continued. _:"I, Um, wasn't expecting to have you answer the phone. I was bracing myself for Aimi to answer it."_

"So you were calling for my daughter?" she said dumbfounded. This man was _so _odd at times.

_"NO! Oh, no, not at all. I just mean at school, whenever we do an exercise that involves a telephone, she screeches into it; like she expects the person on the other end to be hard of hearing. I just wasn't prepared to have a normal person answer when I dialed your number,"_ he explained. She was perplexed at this point. She felt her protectiveness build within her as she picked up on the slight insult at her daughters normal-ness. Sure, she had thought the same thing about the girl, it wasn't like _she_ had ever answered the phone in that way. So learning that behavior from example wasn't really the reason. But really, he couldn't just waltz into her life, and make such comments about her child. Only she could.

"Are you telling me that you think my daughter is strange? The nerve-" she began, but he cut her off.

_"No, no! No... No, that isn't what I meant. Calm down Kagome, I wasn't trying to be rude,"_ she noticed the rushed and exasperated tone he took. She also didn't fail to notice how the sound of his voice permeated within her, creating a sense of nervousness an adult woman shouldn't feel. What was she, in grade school? It wasn't like she had never spoken to a man before.

He continued as her thoughts swept through a variety of different conclusions for why she was feeling so out of sorts.

_"I just meant that I was expecting her to answer, but you did instead. That was all, nothing more. I promise,"_ he soothed. Oh dear, why did he have to sound so sweet. Oh yeah, she was going to have a hard time keeping that voice out of her naughty late-night fantasies.

"Ok, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to jump all over you," she giggled at her wording. And wait, why was she apologizing? "So, would you like to explain your reason for calling then?"

_"Kagome, I uh, firstly... Yes. I would like to tell you, again..."_ he began, and she felt like he was making progress on his sentence forming skills. But really, couldn't he just spit it out? He cleared his throat again, and began once more, _"Kagome, I'm really horrible with words; I wanted to apologize for how I have been acting."_

"Alright, go ahead," she teased.

_"Er, what?"_ he floundered, sounding lost. She knew that the offer to apologize was nearly as good as the apology itself, but really. Was he was going to offer to apologize, but not actually do it? This man was really something else. _"I think I already did."_

"No, Inuyasha, you said you would like to. So I gave you permission," she grit her teeth. How was it possible that no matter what he did, or said, it could always end with her wanting to punch him in the nose?

_"Woman, I don't need your permission."_ he said roughly.

"Well you still have it. Aren't you going to apologize, Mr. Takahashi," she sneered. There he goes again, Woman this, or Woman that.

_"Don't call me that, I already have so many runts that address me that way, that's my dad's name. And, I already apologized, damn it woman."_

"No you didn't, you said that you _wanted_ to apologize. And really, if you're going to call me Woman, then I'll call you whatever I damn well feel like calling you, MR. TAKAHASHI!" she fired back at him.

_"Wench, are you for real? I don't think I can take this much more of this,"_ he yelled back at her.

"Well nobody told you that you had to," she said, feeling like the world was falling around her. She was just as bad as he was, why couldn't they talk without arguing?

_"Well, maybe I won't,"_ he snapped.

"Well, I won't stop you," she jeered.

_"Well, good."_

"Good for you."

_"Fine."_

"Fine."

And then he hung up.

Really? She dropped the phone in her lap, and rested her temples in her hands, braced on the desk. What the heck is wrong with us? We're like bickering little kids. Maybe she was a bit too anti-social. She'd need to quit turning down her old school friends invitations to go to the bar.

The phone started to ring again, and she smiled when she looked at it. Guess who? Her eyes soften, and she took a cool breath before answering. That's what she needed to do, just let the negativity flow out, just like in Yoga class. Not that she was any good at Yoga, go figure.

"Hello, Inuyasha?" she replied, doing her best to portray her now calm mood.

_"Kagome," _he spoke her name like he would never get to say it again. It almost shattered her heart to hear him sound so broken. She could almost see his dog ears drooping. "_I'm sorry…for... for everything. I just... I guess I need to get out more or something, I really don't mean to fight with you like that."_

"It's ok, I'm not much better," she assured him, but she did feel a little tired, so she helped him along. "So, Inuyasha, you want to tell me the _real_ reason you called?"

_"Right, yeah. I.. Kagome, You and I… I er... would like to know, if you're available..."_ the rest of his statement was only a muffled grumble, and she smiled. He was sweet when they weren't fighting.

"Yes," she said, knowing what he was trying to ask.

_"Yes? You will?"_ he sounded surprised, and relieved. She really hopped she hadn't just agreed to house sit, or possibly do free landscaping.

"If you're asking me out," she said boldly, trying to get some strait answers out of the flighty half-youkai. "Is that what you had asked? I couldn't really hear you."

_"Keh, yeah. I was,"_ he said, and she knew he was blushing. They really were like kids.

"I'd love to..." she replied, and heard him let out a breath he probably didn't know he was holding in.

The two sat for an hour or so after they finished setting up plans for the date. Talking about some of the new developments Inuyasha had found on Aimi, and Kagome's research. Really though, they weren't any closer to finding out who here parents might be. Kagome was satisfied at this point though.

She had been told her daughter _was_ youkai, and she had a great mentor to help her learn control. That was all she was truly concerned about. It happened to be a bonus that said mentor was interested in her, and from what Aimi said, he wore shirts that were inappropriate at times. She smiled.

Well, maybe it wasn't so bad that she was interrupted from work today.

[:::]

She was floored, blown away, completely and utterly shocked. Three hours into the date, but Inuyasha and herself had yet to get into a single argument. Playful teasing, sure, but she had not once felt like his face needed to be shoved into the ground with the force of a falling grand piano. That had to mean something.

It was pretty amazing, that not only had she had a great time in his company, but he had actually planned a fairly entertaining date, and the time they spent together seemed to fly by. They started out with something to eat, dining at a quiet ramen and tea shop, which he had mentioned was one of his favorites.

While they were there, Kagome went over the basics of her current habits, and occupation. He seemed impressed to know she owned her own freelance industrial design company. She had worked pretty hard to get herself made business really up and running; with several reliable, and steady clientele, she had a very healthy income. It was really a blessing after Hojo had left, and she was struggling a bit with finding a nearly full-time baby sitter for Aimi.

He had told her a little bit about his family life at this time as well. He shared with her that his parents had passed away, and that his only living relative happened to be his brother. The way he described that man was humorous unto itself. He seemed like a total psychotic, according to Inuyasha, but surely this Sesshoumaru couldn't be that bad.

Other than the basic information, they had spent the rest of the time teasing each other, and really, it was fun. Very fun. As a matter of fact, Kagome never laughed so hard in her life. So much so, that at one point the waiter had thought she may have been choking, and attempting to perform the Heimlich.

That had definitely been the highlight of the dinner, because after the young man found out that she was okay, and that it was a huge misunderstanding, Inuyasha pouted for at least ten minutes. Complaining that the boy had only been trying to 'cop a feel' on _his _date. She learned that he really was the sweet guy that Sango had said he was, and really must have been _that bad_ with words. She would need to go easier on him for sure.

After dinner, she was once again surprised to see he had already planned out the next portion of their date. It made her wonder how long he had actually been waiting to ask her out, and if he had been meticulously planning out the night weeks in advance. That is the only way that they could have gotten tickets to a sold out venue, with box seating. The performer was a young Korean classical guitarist, who had been on his first tour of the US. He only played small shows, and they were always sold out.

Later she found out that Inuyasha was a fan of this particular artist, and style, and had reserved the box for the evening. He said that he normally would have attended the show alone, but was happy to bring her along. She was glad he did, because she found the melodies that the boy played were beautiful, soulful and clean. They didn't spend much time talking while at the show, but instead sat quietly and listened. Occasionally, he would point out a particular riff that he liked, or admired.

She was content to sit quietly though. The box at the show house was very nice, with a small round table, which was surrounded by a plush circular bench. This allowed the two of them to sit flush up against each other, and she readily leaned into his shoulder, and propped her feet up on the seat to be more comfortable. At first he was stiff as she closed the distance between them, but he quickly relaxed, and by the end of the second set, he had casually draped his arm around her shoulders. The night had ended up so perfectly.

And that's where they were, the evening was chill as the two walked out to his car. A light smile couldn't be held back on Kagome's lips, as she held his hand; his large warm one held her's securely, yet softly. It was a quiet tender moment as he opened the door for her, and she slipped into the passenger seat, rubbing her arms to warm them.

He hopped into his side of the car, starting it to let the car warm up, rubbing his own hands together for warmth. When she turned to look at him, her arm brushed on the side of the door frame, which made a slight swishing noise. His triangular ear twitched in response, and she giggled.

"What's so funny," he smiled at her.

"I was just thinking those ears of yours, they're pretty cute," she replied with a twinkle in her eye. He pouted at her words however.

"They aren't cute, if anything they're handsome, thank you," he said, and she assumed that she may have slightly dented his pride. "To be honest, nobody has said anything about them being either, so I guess you're just crazy."

She puffed out her cheeks, now Shippo _and _Inuyasha thought she had crazy ideas.

"Alright, handsome. Your little ears, they're so fuzzy, and handsome," she teased, expecting him to pout again, but he just smiled at her softly. She stayed locked within his gaze for a moment before she realized that they were staring at each other in silence for well over a minute. He chuckled when she blushed and looked away.

Sighing contently, he leaned back into his seat, and closed his eyes. When he did so, he missed the wicked glint in her eyes. In her head she laughed manically.

Ever so gingerly she scooted her bum along the bench seat of the car, careful to not let the car dip too drastically as she inched nearer to him. Once she was within range, her small pink tongue peeked from her lips, and her hand lifted higher in the cabin. Reaching slowly towards the silvery top of his head, she extended her arm carefully, as to not alert the hanyou to her movements. However, she ended up so carefully focused on her target that she failed to notice a single amber eye had opened to a slit, and was watching her closely.

A light 'eep' escaped her lips when a clawed hand met her own before she reached her goal. A cocky smirk greeted her when she looked down at his face. Even after being caught in her actions she didn't move from her half-crawling position. She wouldn't have been able to move after that moment anyways, because his other arm snaked around her waist, and pulled her slightly closer to him.

"And what, may I ask Miss, do you think you are doing?" he purred smugly, his eyes burning with intent.

"I can't help it," she whispered guiltily, with a giggle. "Lemme touch one."

"Oh really? I didn't think that you were that kind of girl. You know, caressing the ears in the youkai world, it's like getting to third base," he teased, but kept her positioned closely to him. Her arm and waist still held in his grasp.

"You're just making that up," she frowned, but her fingers began to twitch, itching with anticipation. She _really_ wanted to touch it.

Much to her surprise, he leaned back into his seat, still holding her hand outstretched. The heater in the car had done its job, or maybe it was more the work of their bodies doing the heating; whatever the cause, the car's interior was _very _warm. She noticed his eyes had closed, and his breathing was even, like he was about to nap.

Slowly he brought his hand from her wrist, up to carefully cover her own small hand. The drag of his skin against her own, even though it was in such an innocent place, burned a path on her wrist. She almost groaned when his hand found a place directly behind her own, spooning gently, but without grasping it. His fingers came up to cup hers softly, and he guided her arm upwards, closer and closer to the nearest furry triangle.

When her sensitive fingertips first grazed the edge of the downy appendage, it twitched quickly, tickling her palm. His hand was still directly behind hers, his fingertips tracing sinful patterns on her knuckles, pressing her deeper, urging her to be bolder. His thumb massaged her pinky, and even though she was enjoying her own investigation, the attention he was giving her was slowly driving her into insanity.

His puppy ear continued to pivot and flick, brushing her skin lightly. They were so soft, and delicate, intricate and sensitive. Soon enough her innocent musings became more lustful as she imagined her tongue slipping out to burn her own path upon him. She imagined him moaning and purring, the way she might, if he had decided to nibble and lick her own sensitive ear. All of these thoughts were causing her to throb and ache with yearning.

Eventually she realized he had released her hand, and it was now sitting in his lap, sadly. To compensate, his other hand was slowly teasing at the hem of her blouse, where the skin was lightly peeking through. Goosebumps had formed on her thighs from the contact, and pricked at the nerves in her body. Still entranced by the moment, Kagome continued to outline the thin edges coated with light fur, reveling in the softness.

Without realizing her actions, eventually she began to lightly apply pressure on the thin membrane, with her thumb and forefinger. Stroking and pulling on the skin, heating it with her touch, creating circles of warmth. In response she felt a thrum of appreciation blossom from within the hanyou's chest. Her mind whirled when she realized the sensation she was creating for him was as pleasurable as the teasing of his fingers upon her bare hip. Their caresses were so sensual, and at the same time, so innocent.

She blushed at the techinique which he had just allowed her, and _showed_ her how to perform. As if he was teaching her a new way to make love. When she sank into her seat, her own body was radiating its own heat, and she knew that if they didn't end this evening soon, things would quickly lead south. Literally. Not that it was a bad thing, but really... First date? She wasn't that sort of girl.

"Told ya, third base," he teased huskily, sounding extremely smug from the driver's side of the car. She turned to look at him, but he was still stuck in his own world. After a moment, as if he felt her eyes on him, his head lolled to the side and he caught her glance. She smiled shyly at him, and when she began to flush again, she turned her grin to the floor.

From her peripheral vision, she saw him put the car into reverse, and pulled out of their parking spot. She dared a glance in his direction, but he caught her, and she blushed again. Like a little blushing machine, that's what she was. Now whenever she looked at him, all she would be able to think about is 'youkai third base'. She was pretty sure that she wanted to try that again.

Lost in her thoughts for most of the car ride home, she didn't even realize that they were back in town, only a few minutes away from her house. Damn, she wasn't ready for the night to be over.

"So, is Aimi staying at Miroku's house tonight?" he ventured. "If she is, and you don't have a curfew, we could go back to my place."

Was he reading her mind? They were adults, so it wouldn't be rushing things if he stopped by. At least, that is what her mind was saying. Well, she could certainly control herself, as long as no liquor was involved. "How about my place? We're nearly there."

They finished out the ride to her house, with only quiet instructions. When she opened to the door to him, he waited for her to walk in, and closed the door for her. She showed him to the living room, and went to put on a pot of coffee. The microwave clock only read 10:40pm, and it was a Friday. Neither of them had to work the next day, so who cares about caffeine?

When she entered the room where she had left him, he was nowhere to be found. Feeling foolish for holding two coffee mugs, when only one person was in the room, she decided to search for him. Just to be sure she investigated the bathroom first, but he wasn't there. Where was he? Her house wasn't that big, after glancing in the bedrooms as she passed them, she bonked her own head. Why didn't she check the study first? It was directly next to the living room. That is where she found him, sitting at her desk, looking at schematics which had been strewn about her partially clean, partially messy desk.

Leaning on the doorframe, she grinned at him, "And what, may I ask Sir, do you think you're doing?"

"Keh, you were taking so long in the kitchen, I got bored," he said plainly. He was still flipping through a large binder of sketches and blueprints when he asked with interested, "What's this?"

"That's a project for a charity. I was asked to create some designs for a few eco-friendly mopeds," she said. "Call it a pet project, I've been working on it for about two months now."

"This is really impressive Kagome, wow," he said, sounding true. She smiled at him as he stood up, and blushed when he took her hand to lead her back out of the study, walking back into the living room. When he sat at the couch, she grabbed the two mugs of coffee from the other side of the room, and set them on a side table.

"You wanna watch a movie? I don't have anything new, but I probably have something you haven't seen before."

"Sure, whatever you want," he said carelessly.

She put the volume on low, and decided that the movie she picked would probably make a better background noise. Why watch a boring moving when you can talk with a sexy hanyou? That is if he didn't try to retaliate for stealing his 'third base' earlier in the night. Her face seemed a little bland at that thought; it was probably sitting on the edge of his mind at the moment. He is a man after all.

So she sat on the opposite end of the couch. He didn't seem to mind, and she just propped her feet up across his lap, and lounged. He didn't seem to mind that either, only looking from her feet, and then curiously back up to her. She only shrugged in response, and took a sip of her coffee.

"So, is this your house? Or do you rent?" he questioned, probably trying to think of good conversation, and find out something a little more personal. She considered that, and figured it was probably a good idea to let him know the details up front about her less than flattering past.

"I own this house. My ex and I bought it with a combination of inheritances," he scowled. She giggled a little, but a small frown appeared. Was it ok that she was dating so quickly after Hojo's death? Was she handling it the right way? When she first heard, she had barely even said anything, the truth not really setting in until later that night. She did feel pain, but she couldn't really show it, or it would have affected Aimi. She sighed, and decided that Hojo didn't want her to sit around being depressed all the time. Before or after his death.

"Earth to Kagome? You there?" Inuyasha interrupted her train of thought.

"I'm so sorry, I uh… just had something on my mind, I didn't mean to zone out like that," she answered, and looked up to him. He looked like he wanted to ask her what was wrong, but at the same time, like he didn't.

"Uh… er, well, um… did you, ya know, want to talk about it?" he said, his ears leaning backwards slightly. He was uncomfortable, but was it because of her, or what he thought she may be troubled about? Did he think she was having doubts about the two of them?

She eyed him carefully, not really wanting to burden him with _that_ much information on the first date, but it wasn't like this was a blind date. He knew that she was married before, and that she was raising a child on her own. Should she let him know about Hojo? She didn't want him to date her out of pity, but… she hadn't talked to anyone about it since it happened. Not even her mother.

"Kagome, if there is something wrong, really… I don't mind you telling me," he said, sounding dejected. He must have thought she was having doubts about them.

"Inuyasha, for the record, I'm having a great time with you," she reassured, and he immediately perked at her words. "Recently, right before the beginning of the school year, I got news about something that I've been kind of… not really facing. Going on this date with you kind of made me think about it is all."

"Oh… well, I mean…" he stammered, but seemed to be fighting some inner turmoil. "Keh, Kagome, I'm not great with words, I've told you that before. But, if you wanna talk, I can listen."

His words seemed a little harsh, but she was happy to hear them. Even though he was feeling out of place, letting her confide in him, he still wanted to help her.

"You're sweet Inuyasha, I don't know if this is really first date material," she said self consciously.

"Just spit it out woman," he scowled, and she giggled. Alright, she'd tell him.

"Well, you can't say I didn't warn you, better not ditch me after this," she mumbled, looking away from him. Taking a deep breath, she thought about how to say what she needed to say. Careful not to look at him, as his appraising gaze was making her words fumble in her throat.

"He was my high school sweetheart, and I thought we were meant to be together. We got married my senior year, and were married for six years," she looked at him, to see that he was just patiently listening. That wasn't so bad. "While he and I were together, we learned that we couldn't have children, due to an odd incompatibility between us." She chuckled a bit, "You would have thought that was like a sign from God himself, but we decided that the next best thing would be to adopt.

"Aimi was wonderful, and I love her. When we picked her up from hospital, she looked just like him," she smiled at the memory. "He seemed happy, but in our hearts, we could feel ourselves growing apart. Once we brought her home, and she started to change, his true nature came out. We fought all the time, sometimes because of things his family would say about Aimi, or even sometimes, things he would say himself. Not to mention all of the other arguments we had, Aimi was just the icing on the cake."

She stopped her story short when she noticed that Inuyasha had began growling lowly, and had sat up a bit straighter in his seat, arms crossed, looking defiant as ever.

"Are you ok, Inuyasha?" she questioned, wondering if this maybe a bit more information than he should have heard.

"Keh, yeah, I'm fine. It just ticks me off like you wouldn't believe," he gave her a pointed glare, which she assumed wasn't directed at her. "If I ever meet this douche bag," he growled again, probably thinking about the different ways he could inflict pain on him.

She sighed again, "That won't be necessary Inuyasha, Hojo passed away." Oh that got his attention quickly. He stared up at her, wide eyed.

"Oh, Keh… I guess it won't," he whispered. Guilt has a funny way with people. A myriad of emotions began to swim across his features, as he stared into his coffee cup. He laughed bitterly which made her wince, she didn't like that sound. "Wow, I had no idea how much we actually had in common."

"Really? You mean that you're a woman? Odd, could have swore you weren't," she joked, attempting to lighten the mood.

He smiled at her attempt, "I'm not a woman… woman," he chuckled, "but I do have a 'that time of the month'. At least that is what my brother calls it."

"Oh great, I can just imagine you as 'moody'," she said with a mock shudder. He chuckled for a moment, but then reverted back into a more serious, focused expression.

"No, I just mean, this relationship you had, with that Hojo guy. It's a lot like the only other real relationship I had," he mentioned sadly. "Actually a lot like it."

Did he say _other, _just now? Her heart leapt hopefully in her chest. Did he think of her as more than just a date? Or maybe he didn't date often, and this was a big deal for him. While she was thinking of this less important detail of his previous words, he began to tell her a bit about himself.

"The only other woman that I was ever with," there was that _other_ again, she smiled. "I found out a couple years back that she had passed away as well."

"I'm so sorry," she said, suddenly feeling guilty for her momentary hope. She was still hopeful, but really, speaking about the death of loved ones was not the time to be thinking about… er, what she was thinking about.

"No need, it was a long time ago," he said in a tone that tore at her soul. That hurt; did he still have feelings for that woman still? Wait, she couldn't feel jealous, she had just told him the same sort of story. She hadn't done it to confess that still had feelings for Hojo, because she didn't. She shouldn't jump to conclusions. "And things had turned out similarly to how you explained your marriage. She was young, and we were in love, but after a few years, we learned that it wasn't what we really wanted. That we just weren't as in love as we originally though. So we split up."

"Ahh, I understand. Yes, I suppose we do have a lot in common," she said mournfully. "What was her name?"

He winced at her words, should she not have asked?

"Kikyo Itou."

"Oh, I see," she said sadly. That name. Kikyo, the woman he mentioned on the day they met. Didn't he say she looked _just_ like her? Ouch, that hurt too. Wow, a lot more than it should have. Jealousy is such a horrible thing.

"Kagome, please don't get the wrong idea," he rushed, probably reading the pain on her face. "I didn't mean for you to think what I can assume you're thinking."

"Pfft… What did I say about assuming things Inuyasha, can read my mind now?" she said, somewhat scorned. Damn, she really needed to calm down; it was their first date after all. It wasn't like she had any hold on him, and the woman had died. She should be more sympathetic.

"Keh, of course not. I can smell your emotions right now though, and I don't like the direction you are going with whatever it is you're thinking," he retorted bitterly. He paused for a moment, she assumed so he could word what he wanted to say the right way. He probably felt like he was walking on eggshells at this point, like his words could make or break their fragile relationship.

"Listen, Kikyo and I… yeah, I loved her, and I suppose a small part of me always will. She was a wonderful girl, I won't lie about that," he said sadly, still focused. He really didn't seem to know how to say what he wanted to say, but Kagome stayed patient, trying to not let despair enter her heart. She could do it for him, it was worth it; she could tell that if he would open up to her, she wouldn't regret it. "I couldn't still be her friend after things ended, because it was all too painful. I didn't want to see her with other men, like I knew she wouldn't want to see me move on either. It was difficult, I mean… at one time I thought that she would be my… well, I thought a lot of her. Sure I knew that things didn't work out between us, but when it happened, I wished I could have changed how I felt. I did wish for a while that I could have continued loving her. That just isn't how the world works… that isn't how a heart works."

Damn, this really was hard to hear. Was it as hard for him to hear about Hojo? Her heart was pounding in her chest as he opened up his own. So many emotions were filling her at this moment, but she willed them into submission until he finished.

"I don't sit around pinning after her Kagome, I hope you understand. People love, and fall out of love. I still have feelings for her, but feelings for someone that I loved _once,"_ her eyes were softened. She _did_ understand exactly what he was saying. _She_ felt the same for Hojo, of course she didn't love him as a lover any longer; it still hurt like a bitch when he left her, and when he died, no matter what she told herself.

"And when it comes to you, and how you happen to look like her, if anything, that is part of the reason my mind told me to stay away from you," he said with an honest expression. "I didn't feel like it was right of me, to…"

He stumbled over his words, and a small blush appeared on his cheeks while he waited for something to happen. Maybe he was waiting for his nerve to build back up for what he was trying to say.

"Look Kagome, I'm not looking for a replacement for her. I asked you out, because I wanted to know you. Not because I wanted to know the woman who looked like Kikyo. I wanted you, Kagome."

His soft words were powerful, and she could only blush more, and smile genuinely at his confession. She wanted to know him too; she didn't want him to feel guilt. She didn't want to feel guilt. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to jump to conclusions Inuyasha. You have been so great, to listen to me, that wasn't a very kind way to say my thanks."

"Keh, damn straight," he said with a smirk. She sighed and thought about his words. He wanted to know her, to get to know her better. How could she be such a manic-depressive? One moment it felt like her world was crumbling, and the next she was floating on cloud nine. She did her best to contain her grin, but felt like she was failing horribly.

"About your ex, how did Aimi take it?" his words brought her out of her reverie.

"Well when Hojo left, Aimi was pretty young. She barely even understood who he was supposed to be. She's so happy, I doubt she would have been mad at him anyways," she said with a smile. "When he died, she didn't really seem upset at all. He was never really there for her, so I can't blame her for not being affected."

"No you can't, she's a great little kid," he said quietly. "I don't know what it is about that girl, probably the Inu in her, but I can't help but want to be there for her."

"You're her teacher, it's to be expected," she assured. He didn't seem convinced, but he also didn't press the issue any further. They sat in silence for another few moments, but then she decided to totally change the topic.

"Inuyasha, can I ask you a question," she said hesitatingly.

"Maybe. What is it?" he responded curiously.

"Just how old are you?" she said, eyeing him carefully.

"Do you really want to know?" he said, no humor in his voice at all.

"I don't know, do I?"

He laughed, a large laugh, but it was a wonderful sound. Something she had never heard from him before, "I'm not _that_ old Kagome. My brother, now _he's_ old."

"Like how old?" she questioned, this time a bit bolder.

"He's about," he counted on his fingers, which seemed kind of pointless. "I would say, at least 1700 years old."

"Holy crap, that's pretty old Inuyasha," she said in awe, but then felt a little awkward. If his brother was that old, how old would he be?

"Don't worry Kagome, I'm fairly young, in youkai terms," he said with a smirk.

"That isn't really very reassuring," she said. What was she nervous about anyways? Did she really care how old he was? Not really.

"What are you nervous that you may have gotten to 'third base' with someone who could be older than your great, great, great... and so many other great, grandfather?" he teased. Oh he was getting a lot of fun out of this.

"So, will you ever age?" she said, musing.

"One day, but for now I'll look as I do until that point. Youkai will live until their appointed time. When they reach it, they and their mates will begin to age similar to a human, and eventually die." he said. A youkai nature lesson, how neat.

"That's fascinating. So your mate would live with you? Does that mean you haven't ever... *ahem*..." she blushed. How stupid and embarrassing, "Sorry, that was entirely inappropriate."

He laughed again, "Keh, don't worry about it Kagome. Mating isn't that same as coitus," he teased. She pouted, because he was obviously making fun of her now. Who says 'coitus'?

"Well how am I supposed to know, I don't know anything about youkai," she sighed. Really, maybe she should take a youkai studies class at the university or something.

"Don't worry, lots of people don't understand," he said with a smirk. Placing her feet to the floor, he crawled across the couch, dangerously close to her. Before she knew what happened, he had nearly pinned her to the arm, and was leaning nearer to her. She was frozen, couldn't move... was he trying to kiss her?

As if he knew what she was thinking, he swiftly moved around her and whispered roughly in her ear, "but if you want to learn about youkai, I would be glad to teach you."

Did she moan as his hot breath brushed over her neck? Did he just lick her ear? Why that… that tricky little… Hey, where did he go?

He had stood and started heading down to the bathroom. Wow, now what? She couldn't move, that's what. She was frozen, probably with the most dumbfounded look on her face. She really needed to snap out of it. This date was getting hot, and heavy, much too fast. And she liked it.

Cool air. She needed cool air, desperately.

Once she was able to pull out of her stupor, she rushed over to the front door, and flung it open. The air broke onto her face and cooled the film of perspiration that had formed on her body. It took a moment of standing outside before she regained her head. Without realizing Inuyasha had walked up behind her.

"Feeling warm? I have that affect on women," he teased, wrapping an arm around her waist, and pulling her back into his chest. Damn he was cocky, but she kind of liked that about him. She felt him lean down ever so slightly into her hair and take a deep breath. Was he smelling her?

"Mmm… Kagome, thank you for this evening," he whispered into the crook of her neck. His moist breath was warm in the cool evening air. She leaned into him a bit more, unknowingly. He stiffened again, and after a quick squeeze, he propped her back on her feet, and released his hold on her. "I'm gonna head home."

"Yeah, it's late already," she said, feeling somewhat relieved, but at the same time, very, _very_ sad that he would be going. "I'm glad we went out tonight, call me again sometime," she said lamely.

"I will," he smirked. Taking her hand, he leaned in, and she closed her eyes. He surprised her when he leaned to her cheek, and placed a chaste kiss upon it, instead of a more intimate kiss on the lips. When he retracted, he was smirking again, probably at her confused expression. She had wanted to kiss him, damn it.

"What? I'm not that kind of guy Kagome. I don't kiss on the first date," he teased. "I know you do, Miss Third Base."

"Oh, get out of here!" she laughed, "I'll see you around, Inuyasha."

"I know," he said surely. "Good night, Kagome."

She stood at the doorway, and watched him pull out of her drive. Damn, she forgot to actually get him to tell her how old he was. Oh well, next time.

She walked back into the house and closed the door, heading to pick up the now empty coffee mugs. Her mug, her favorite, was a one of a kind pre-school creation; Aimi's unique finger painted script proclaimed her to be the 'bEst MomMY Evar!'. She smiled at the ceramic cup, and walked back to the kitchen to rinse them before she got ready for bed.

As the warm water began flowing from the faucet, she couldn't help but grin ridiculously. The night was so great, and Inuyasha… Wow, he was great. How had she ended up so lucky, to nab a date with someone like him? It was well… great.

Most women probably couldn't get past his gruff exterior, and heaven forbid one of them to disagree with him. She chuckled. That was probably it; after a minute or so of arguing, with any one of his dates, he probably ended up with a glass of 'whatever's handy' drenching his face.

Well, she hadn't done much better, if she could have, she would have thrown a glass of Elmar's glue on the idiot at times. At least Aimi seemed to love him. Aimi only had the best things to say about her teacher, almost like she was trying to paint him as a saint. Maybe she was playing matchmaker, she was a smart girl, so she wouldn't put it past her.

She smiled again; he seemed to like her too. But did Inuyasha really want a daughter? Was he ready for the responsibility of having a child of his own?

She paused in her actions. He hadn't said anything like that before, but really… who would want to get into a relationship with a woman who already had a child? Ignoring the fact that it was only their first date, Kagome frowned. She placed the cleaned cups into the drying rack, and stood motionless for a moment.

Inuyasha didn't seem to be that sort of guy; she could trust that if he was uncomfortable with the fact that she had a daughter that he would be forth coming about it. Right?

Sighing, she tried her best to push such random and unwanted thoughts away from her. Inuyasha was great, but she wouldn't sacrifice anything for Aimi. If he couldn't truly handle a relationship with a woman who had a child already, than it was a simple choice. All or nothing.

* * *

**[~A:|:N~]**

**8175**

_**Vocab Time!**_

_**Famous Guitarist You Say?**__ – My reference here is to a young musician who blew me away: Sungha Jung. If you're a fan of Classical Guitar, look him up._

_**Coitus**__ – It's not just for mating anymore. (haha… yes, I said coitus in a fic.) And… I guess, in case someone doesn't know…Coitus it is another, more technical, term for sex._

_**bEst MomMY Evar – **__Hell, you can't beat that. Unless you're the bEst MomMY Evar infinity +1._

Awww… I love this chapter. Now go brush your teeth kids.

So, thanks to Say0mi Saki for her pimp, btw. I have said it like 100 times already, but I wanted to say it once more. And thanks to everyone else who has been reading, and commenting, and favorite-ing, and well... just thanks everyone!

- Foayasha


	9. I'll have a daddy in no time

My Girl

by Foayasha

_Disclaimer: The epic of Inuyasha, while wonderful, does not belong to me. Thus I cannot, and do not, claim to own any of the characters in this short story... sadly that also includes the one with the hair loopies._

_Thanks to Shagsthedustmop for all of her wonderful help!_

**My Girl Chpt 8 - ****I'll have a daddy in no time**

**Sorry, but we're back to 4k chapters.**

* * *

He couldn't wipe the grin off his face. It had been a week since his date with Kagome, but he was still riding on the thrill of how damn awesome it had turned out. Not only was he able to drench himself in her scent, he also confirmed that she was actually _fun_ to be around. That is when they weren't fighting. Well, that wasn't so bad either; her scent spiked even further in the heat of an argument, not to mention her flushed angry face was sexy as hell.

And even better, she returned his affections.

Yes, it had been a good night, and in hopes of riding his good luck train, he had asked her out again the next week. Together they took her daughter out for ice-cream. He wasn't blind enough to think his good fortune would be everlasting. It was inevitable that the two of them would eventually get into an argument. When they finally had, in his mind the argument was completely uncalled for, since all he had done was tell the clerk to mind his own business.

Alright, maybe he had said something along the lines of 'you little punk, why don't you mind your own damn business'.

Kagome had huffed, and yelled that the kid had only been asking her what flavor she wanted, and that it was 'just his job'. Like hell it was his job to ogle _his_ date, asking her flavor was only an attempt to get all buddy buddy with her, like he hadn't been standing there the whole time as a witness. He could tell that the brat had more in mind than just getting her an ice-cream cone.

It was a shock to see her patience after their original date had increased tenfold. After they yelled at each other for a moment, and she nearly threw her mint chocolate chip cone in his face, she calmed down. The rest of the early evening date was great. He had taken her home, and the smile she gave him before she got out of his car nearly stopped his heart. He hadn't felt so good since he put gum in Sesshoumaru's hair.

"Mr. Takahashi, are you alright? You look funny," a small voice said from the side of his desk.

"What do you mean Rin?" he asked his brother ward, whose face was twisted in an odd form of concentration.

"Well, you have been smiling a lot, Uncle Inu- , I mean, Mr. Takahashi," she corrected herself.

"Keh, what's wrong with smiling?" he questioned the youth.

She giggled at him, "You don't smile like _that_ though, you only look like _this_." She attempted to create a sufficient scowl, contorting her cute face further and further, until he got the impression.

"Ahh, like that," he scowled.

"Yeah, you're doing it right now! Just like that. That's better, now I know you're okay," she said with a sigh, and wiped the imaginary sweat off her brow.

"Well, I'm allowed to smile Rin, so next time, you don't need to be worried," he reminded the girl as she walked away.

Well, it wasn't like he wasn't allowed to smile. He was damn happy. Finally, he met a woman who could keep up with him, and he couldn't get enough of her. Slipping back into his happier thoughts, he didn't notice the three cavorting pups behind him, planning something devious.

"Mr. Takahashi," he heard the voice of Kagome's daughter behind his desk. He turned to see Aimi, Shippo and Shiori, who they had conned into their daily tricks, kneeling behind his chair. Each of them was wearing a paper hat, shaped like a triangle sail boat on their heads. They had colored their accessories with crayons, adding images of youkai fighting great battles. He noticed on Aimi's, it had a red blob with white scribbles on top, brandishing a silver colored set of longer scribbles.

"Aimi, what's this," he pointed at her hat, and the red blob.

"That's you, Mr. Takahashi, fighting lots and lots of evil youkai," she said with a smile. Seeming to forget what she had come over to ask him in the first place.

"Ahh, why I am all red?" he questioned.

"That's your special armor, and you see this," she pointed at a place on her head, which luckily for her landed on the silver scribbles. "This here, it's your sword."

"Oh really?" he thought back, well actually that was pretty accurate. When he would dress in his Fire Rat armor his mother gave him, and his Tessaiga would transform, he did hold a similar appearance to that blob. "Where did you get the idea for this Aimi?"

"From the story you told us, about the hanyou who fought all the youkai. I thought you would fit into that story really good," she blushed, pulling her hands behind her, embarrassed.

"So Aimi, what did you and your friends have to tell me," he smiled at her good nature. "You did have a question for me, right?"

"Oh, Mr. Takahashi," she began, "Shiori and Shippo, and me, we had a question for you."

"Go ahead," he coaxed.

"My mommy, her birfday is soon, and I don't know what to do for her," she explained. "For my birfday, I got lots of cloths, and a really nice doll house. She made it for me using her computer."

"That's pretty neat Aimi. Well, for her bi_rth_day, what did you have in mind," he questioned, emphasizing the correct pronunciation. He didn't mind at all, skipping out on his work a bit to talk about Kagome.

"Well, she is always cooking food, and I wanted to cook her some dinner, but I don't know how," she explained. "One time, I tried to make dinner for Mommy while she took a nap, and I got into lots of trouble. We had to call the fireman to our house, and a consfruction man to fix it."

He laughed, at least she learned her lesson and is asking for help instead of attempting to 'make dinner' again on her own. Well, this would be a good way for him to get more time in with the woman. This was probably planned by that damn Kitsune anyways. Even after he had asked out Kagome, the two of them didn't relent on their pushing to get them together. Apparently dating wasn't good enough; the kids were waiting for a marriage proposal or something before they would let off.

"So, are you asking me to help you make dinner for your mom for her birthday?" he said, raising an eyebrow at her knowingly. The girl nodded, and he saw Shiori and Shippo 'high five' each other behind her. Rolling his eyes at them he figured to get the rest of the information, "Aimi, when is your mother's birthday exactly?"

"Sunday, Mr. Takahashi, I think. That's the one at the beginning, right?"

"Yes, Sunday is the beginning of the week," he nodded.

"Ok, yeah, it's Sunday," she said.

"Alright, well it will be our secret then. You and your mother can come to my house, and you and I will make dinner for her," he explained. "All you need to do is make sure she doesn't plan anything for that day, ok? And I'll come by in the evening."

"Okay! I can do that," she smiled, and turned to hug Shippo and Shiori.

He gulped as she walked away, and he overheard her whisper to the other two kids, "This plan is perfect, I'll have a daddy in no time."

[:::]

The rest of the week, Inuyasha and Aimi made their specific plans for Kagome's birthday. What exactly she wanted to make her mother, and if she was getting her a gift. He helped her make a barrette, with a pink glass orb, surrounded by purple quartz stones she had collected.

They decided to make a simple dinner of ramen, and for dessert they were going to bake a pie. He was proud to say that of his limited cooking knowledge he could at least do that. He'd buy some ice cream as well, and make it ala'mode. Aimi seemed to agree with the menu, and told him that she had everything under control for their party. She mentioned Friday they were going to her grandma's house, and spending the night. He didn't need to worry, she said, because they would be home Saturday, and didn't have plans for Sunday.

He tried to not be upset that Kagome would be going to meet her mother, but that he wasn't invited. They didn't know each other that well, he told himself, and they were spending the night. So it wasn't proper anyways. There wasn't any reason to be angry. Maybe she hadn't even told her mother yet, and this was a time to break the ice, about him. It was only a fleeting emotion, but just the fact that he even felt it was just another point that he wanted to be more than just 'some guy' she was dating.

He was just finishing wrapping a gift that he had bought for her that Saturday afternoon, when he got a knock at the door. He looked out his window, and noticed that it was the post master. What did he have business doing here? He opened the door to the older man, and made his greetings.

"Mr Takahashi?" Inuyasha nodded, and the man continued, "I have come by personally, because I wanted to deliver this grossly over-due letter." He handed him a manila envelope and shook his head. "Inside is a letter that was found in our distribution office. It is post marked from about three years previous. I am terribly sorry for the inconvenience sir. Good day."

After the man left, Inuyasha eyed the package carefully, and decided that it was probably just a credit card statement, so nothing to worry about. Right? Carefully slicing it open with a claw, he shook the end of the envelope until a letter fell into his open hand. The small white envelope didn't have a return address, and the handwriting looked familiar, but he couldn't place it.

The ink which lined the letter was smudged by something, droplets of liquid. He felt himself feel a little bit weak, and decided to sit down before opening it to read the contents. He was eternally grateful that he did, because he certainly would have fallen over with shock. In fact, he nearly had a heart attack once he pulled out the single sheet of paper.

[~~~]

Inuyasha,

I am writing you this letter as a last request, just in case something happens to me in the future. Who knows if it will, but this world can be cruel at times, and I have learned that the hard way.

I was not completely honest with you after our last meeting, and at times I had regretted it, but what is done is done. Between you and me, after that night 9 months ago, I found we had produced a child. I was scared, and ashamed, but at the same time I had hope. I did not want you to be burdened with the child of our lost love, and our past, so I gave birth to her in secret.

I would have liked to keep the child, but financially, I was completely unable. I carefully screened many applicants along with a social worker, and after several were selected, but I was not allowed to learn the final choice. She is in a good family now, and I hope for her to be happy. If you receive this letter, it probably means I will be unable to find the child once she reaches 18, and connect with her like I would have preferred to do.

I can't give you any information on where she is, or who she is with, but I wish for you to find her some day. I have given her a gift, which you will instantly recognize if you find her. She deserves to know that she was not given away because she unwanted, but because I wanted her to have the best life possible. That is all I can say.

Please forgive me for keeping this secret; I only did it because I thought it was for the best.

Take care Inuyasha,  
Kikyo

[~~~]

How could this be possible?

He was a father, and he didn't even know it. Somehow, the rage he expected to fill him never came. Instead a feeling of longing surrounded his being. He had a daughter in the world, and he didn't even know it. Where was she, who was she? Images of a young hanpa with his golden eyes, and silver hair trickled into his mind. Funny how the image looked just like Aimi, but honestly, what were the chances of that? He laughed out loud.

Well, it could be possible, wouldn't that be perfect…

Wait? Would it be perfect? Is that what he really wanted, to be Aimi's father? Sure Kagome was great, and he really did care about both of them, but did he _want_ to be the girl's father? Probably best to not think about that right now anyways. Kagome would think he was a lunatic for jumping ahead so quickly into their relationship. The two of them hadn't even been dating for more than a couple weeks, and really, he had only known her for a couple of months. Most of those they were arguing constantly when they saw each other.

Yeah, better to not think about that. The possibility of Aimi, his student, to be his long lost daughter, slim to none.

[:::]

Sunday morning came and went, and it quickly closed onto Sunday evening, before he knew it, he was standing at her door, ringing the bell. He heard the pounding of feet, as he imagined Aimi running to answer the door.

"Mr. Takahashi! Come inside," she said, grandly sweeping her little arm, and attempting to curtsy. She was damn cute, he had to admit. But what was she wearing? She had a tiara, and was dressed, in what he would assume, was a 'princess' type gown. It was extremely formal, but she was probably just playing, so he couldn't say much.

That is until Kagome came running around the corner, also dressed in an extremely formal, but beautiful glittering emerald gown. She was giggling, and smiling brilliantly; well at least until she noticed that he was standing in the foyer. The smile turned into a look of absolute horror at that point, and she paled dead in her tracks. He had to admit, that even though he could tell she wasn't expecting him, she was stunning. Her gown was the type a woman would wear for a night of formal dining and dancing. Her hair was done up in a mess of barrettes and clips, randomly placed and occasionally braided; falling mainly in loose curls upon her bare shoulders. This looked like the handy work of a five year old.

"Inuyasha… what are you… doing… here?" she said, in a quivering embarrassed tone, glancing sideways at the most obvious culprit princess.

"Doesn't mommy look beautiful Mr. Takahashi? We dressed up nice for our party tonight," she said proudly. Her smile was almost as brilliant as Kagome's had been. Well, at least until she realized she had been ambushed.

"Aimi, you said we were just playing," she wailed, sending a glare at the girl.

"No, Mommy, I told you. We had to dress nice because we were having a party," the girl frowned, since her mother was upset with her. "I thought *sniff* that you understood. *Sniff* me and Mr. Takahashi *hiccup into a sniff* made all da plans."

"Oh baby, don't cry," her mother rushed to her side, and 'shhed' her, "It's ok, baby, thank you for helping me get ready. You did a great job."

"And you look great," Inuyasha said, taking her hand, to pull her up off the floor. He placed a light kiss on the hand he held. "Your chariot awaits, M'lady."

"So this is your doing," she said, playfully swatting his shoulder.

"Well, I did help," he replied.

"Alright, well it will take me a minute to gather up our things," she said with a light sigh. "Why don't you two wait in the living room while I put my hair to order as well?"

"But Mommy," Aimi said with glowing innocent eyes. "Don't you like my style? I gave it the 'loopies', like the girl in Avatar! _And_… the barrettes are the special ones I found the other day on our walk."

"Aimi, I love my hair, but I need to put it up if we're going somewhere. They are fine for play, but if I lose one, I'll feel awful. Do you understand?" Kagome said with practiced ease. The young girl nodded her head, and went to sit next to Inuyasha on the couch.

While the two waited, Inuyasha looked around the room at different decorations. There were a couple paintings, abstract and renaissance alike. Also, along the wall leading into the hall were many portraits of the two, and who he assumed were her parents, family and friends. As he gazed at the different pictures, he noticed that several of the images of Kagome, when she was younger, amid large crowds.

Well that was odd, didn't Kagome have Enochlophobia? He looked that name up one night, and was pretty proud for remembering it.

He looked over at Aimi who was quietly playing with a ponytail holder, springing it back and forth. He got an idea, and walked over to the young girl, and sat next to her again.

"Aimi," he began, "Why is your mom scared of people?"

When he looked back to face the girl, he was surprised to see her face was solemn; it didn't fit well at all with her innocences or age. She seemed to think something over in her head before deciding it was okay to tell him. She sighed, and looked forward and away from him.

The girls eyes misted slightly, and a small pout appeared on her lips, "Mommy doesn't like talkin' bout it. Somefing happened before I was born. Even before Mommy married Mr. Akitoki."

The young girl looked heartsick; the kind of expression you would find on a child whose dog just ran away. Before he knew it a whimper left Aimi's throat and she began to cry. He scooped her up in his arms, and started to rub her back, cooing to her.

"Aimi, what's the matter," Kagome rushed into the living room when she heard her daughters sobbing. "Aww, hush darling. It's ok. Don't cry."

"I uhm... asked her something. I didn't realize she would be so upset to tell me," he said, feeling very guilty.

"And what did you ask her," Kagome glared at him with an expectancy.

"About your phobia," he looked at her softly. "I saw some pictures on the wall where you were with crowds, but you didn't seem nervous or scared."

Kagome looked away from him, and held her head down. There for a moment he thought she may have fallen asleep, but after a deep breath she brought her eyes up to meet his. "I hated the idea that she would know; if she found out it would only upset her. My twit of a brother just _had _to open his big mouth," she scowled, obviously upset that the young girl had been told something disturbing. She focused her doe eyes out her picture window, remembering the experience, and it killed him to think that she would be ever in pain.

"When I was younger while schooling abroad, I made some new friends. Needless to say, they weren't exactly concerned about my welfare. There was some sort of… _party_ they brought me to, where I was handed a drink and left to wander the crowded halls," she smiled, embarrassed and bitter.

"Let's just say, the drink they gave me wasn't an innocent punch, like I thought. When I finally woke up, I felt like I just got trampled by the running bulls. Only the stampeding crowd surrounded me still, pounding the floor to the beat of the music, paying no mind that I was under their feet. Ever since that night… I just felt like…"

Inuyasha watched as her smile returned, focusing on the angel in her lap. She hugged the girl close, sighing contently, "I was just scared. When Aimi found out, she was so upset that she vowed to protect me forever."

"I do promise, Mommy," Aimi whispered nuzzling her closer to her mother. Her tears had slowed, and her breathing evening out. "I won't ever let anyone hurt you again."

"I know sweetheart, that's what you're my special protector!" Kagome picked her up, and headed back down the hall with the girl on her hip. She turned slowly, and called out to him, "don't worry about it Inuyasha, I'm fine. I have my big strong girl here for me."

Her smiled warmed up the cold spot that had momentarily formed in his chest at the thought of the pain she may have suffered. She didn't know, but silently, he also vowed to _never_ let anyone hurt her again.

[:::]

Once he ushered the girls to his house, they came inside to find he had set up a nice table arrangement, and had prepared the kitchen for Aimi and him to start making her dinner. Kagome rest in the living room while the two of them began to cook; Aimi had appointed herself the official 'taste tester'.

First they started by making the pie, which he had already premade mostly, but still needed to be assembled. He guided her small hands along, and she easily followed his expert instruction. As he watched her form the lattices on the pie, he noticed that Kagome was peeking around the corner of the kitchen. She was watching the two of them work, and had a rather wistful expression on her face.

"Kagome, you are supposed to be relaxing. Aimi and I are in charge of preparing the meal," he scolded her.

"Yeah, Mommy, get outta here!" Aimi said, pointing her finger back towards the living room.

"But... but, how can I not watch the two of you, it's sooo cute," she said with a mock pout.

"Shoo, Woman," he teased, and she stuck her tongue out at him. To which he sent Aimi after her, with a wooden spoon with apple pie filling on it, to chase her around the house. After the two girls were done with their game, Kagome took the girl to clean her up.

When Aimi came back, they finished up preparing the dinner, and set the table. Once the pie was in the oven, they waited for it to cook. Aimi and Inuyasha played a racing video game, while Kagome watched, until Inuyasha challenged her as well. She kicked his butt, but that was ok. He told her that since it was her birthday, he gave her a freebie.

"You know, Inuyasha, you seem to really enjoy spending time with her," she said gesturing to Aimi who was engrossed in another game.

"You know, I really do," he answered casually. "The two of you are great, but I _really_ love spending time with you."

She blushed at the intense look he gave her as she lean in to nuzzle the side of her neck. "You sure that she doesn't just come with the package, Inuyasha?"

"I'm sure Kagome, I think both of you are great," he assured. "Really, I'm not just saying that."

She turned and kissed his cheek, and giggled; that was about as much action she had gotten out of the relationship, other than the occasional nuzzles. That was ok though, she didn't mind taking things slow.

Soon enough dinner was ready, and the two girls came to sit in his dining room, to where he brought out their dinner for them. As he was bringing in the last item Aimi gasped, and whispered something into Kagome's ear.

"Oh, sure, would you like to?" Kagome said, smiling gently.

"Oh yes please, it's a special day. It's ok," Aimi said, urgently nodding her head.

"Okay, but you're lucky I brought it. I figured you may want to wear it tonight," Kagome smiled at her daughter. "Excuse me for one moment."

She walked into the living room, and grabbed her little clutch purse, and came back to Aimi's side of the table, and knelt down beside the young girl. She reached into the purse, and pulled out a small silver chain, clasping the delicate jewelry in place around her daughter's neck.

Inuyasha couldn't take his eyes off the charm as Aimi proudly displayed it, and did his best to reign in any emotions he felt at seeing it again.

"That's Aimi's special gift, from her real mother," Kagome explained. "She gets to wear it on special occasions."

The silver disc that hung from the chain was a frame for a delicate cameo, in ivory, of a white dog with swirling features. It was his mother's necklace, the one he had misplaced. Aimi had it, a gift from her natural mother.

Aimi was his daughter.

* * *

**[~A:|:N~]**

**4219**

_**Vocab Time!**_

_**Enochlophobia**__ – fear of crowds_

_**Post Master**__ – So, like back in the day (which was a Wednesday) people would receive mail in tangible formats called letters. The Post Master was the person who handled the delivery of such items. Didn't think you were getting a history lesson, did ya!_

_**A'la Mode**__ – Didn't I say this already? Delicious treat people._

**_Ahh... the end._**

Just kidding, but really... 1 chapter left. I hope nobody was too disappointed with the rather simple inclusion of Kagome's phobia. I didn't want her fears to be front and center, but more of just a part of her character. I wouldn't have even included it if I didn't think someone would at least ask why. It gave a nice addition to Aimi's protectiveness as well. ^_^

**And a question **for those... I don't know if it really matters, but I have 2 fics I was considering starting next. One is a drama, the other is humor (its still pretty cute though). Which would you prefer to read? Descriptions for the two on my profile [1] and [2]. I added more descriptive summaries to the profile, at the request of PurduePup, thank ya!

Thanks to everyone who has been reviewing, and reading my fic. Love you all!

- Foa


	10. Name of the Mother

My Girl

by Foayasha

_Disclaimer: The epic of Inuyasha, while wonderful, does not belong to me. Thus I cannot, and do not, claim to own any of the characters in this short story... oh man, I wish I could take credit for the Big Bad Wolf._

_ShagsTheDustmop tytytytyty_

**_I skimmed this last night, so I could post a bit earlier today ^_^_**

**My Girl Chpt 9 - Name of Mother**

* * *

Kagome kissed Aimi on the forehead, while she rest peacefully in her bed. She had spent the entire afternoon playing with Shiori and Shippo at the park, and was exhausted. Her mother didn't mind though, considering it would finally give her the time to file all of the paperwork she received earlier from Hojo's estate attorney.

Settling down on the floor with a stack of paperwork, she started sifting through the mess. Occasionally she would find an item that was interesting, so she would pause in her sorting, and skim it. The file that she was given was hefty, but at least organized, so she was able to separate the contents into her own filing system pretty easily.

The task was fairly bland, and before she knew it she was day dreaming about a certain silver haired school teacher. Her smile was wistful as she remembered the perfect birthday he had given her with her daughter. Even with the troubles she had faced, she felt like the luckiest girl alive, maybe she should buy a lottery ticket.

He hadn't called her in several days, was it more like a week? She didn't want to pressure him; he had done such a nice job with Aimi and the party, and was so considerate. He had even confessed that he _loved_ spending time with her. She sighed happily remembering how he had also said her and Aimi were both wonderful, and he enjoyed spending time with both of them.

Oh, bliss.

Maybe she should call him, see what he was doing? Since she hadn't seen him in awhile, she was feeling a sort of withdrawl... but then she reminded herself that guys don't like clingy girls. She could wait until he was ready to see her again. She assumed that was why it was taking _so long_ for him to call her again.

Her happy smile faltered for a moment. Maybe he hasn't called because she had scared him away? Was she too forward about Aimi? Maybe she shouldn't have pressured him into saying how he felt about _both _of them, as a pair. She just wanted to be sure, she thought before nibbling a nervous lip.

Maybe he was avoiding her? Maybe he thought she was too pushy, or too emotional? Shaking her head, she dismissed the notion. He was happy, he told her so himself. Although, after dinner began that night he had be less talkative; he acted like he had something else on his mind.

Damn it. Why did she have to have doubts? They never did her any good, she should just relax. Inuyasha was a mature adult; he wouldn't have lied to her about how he felt about Aimi and her. He said he enjoyed their company, and that was that. Nodding her head, she focused back on her chore.

The pile was almost completely sorted, and now she was looking at some photocopies from Aimi's adoption. No big deal, she had seen them all before. That is what she thought - until one document in particular held her interest for more than a moment.

The page was a simple small rectangle; she actually had the original in her possession, stored in a safety deposit box. It had only a few detailed items printed on it, and at one time she had read it carefully, practically memorized its lines. 'Practically' being the key term here, sometime over the past five years she had forgotten the specific details.

[~~~]

Certificate of Birth

This is to certify that the following is an extract from the registration on file within the Vital Statics Agency concerning the birth of:

Name: Aimi Itou  
Name of Father: John Doe  
Name of Mother: Kikyo Itou

[~~~]

She stared in awe of the document for an extended period of time. She remembered the first meeting with Inuyasha, the feeling of familiarity she had when he mentioned the name Kikyo. How could she have totally forgotten that it was Aimi's natural mother's name?

That meant… that… means…

Kagomes dainty fingers rose to her mouth to swallow a gasp, shock overwhelming her. How could she have been so blind?

Inuyasha… Inu…

_She's from an Inu line, like my own… _

How was it possible?

_Her scent is a dead give away… _

Had he known?

_Adoption is practically forbidden… _

How would he react?

_If I were to have any pups, they would look like Aimi does…_

Tears had begun to form in her eyes.

_I don't know what it is about that girl…_

Were they happy tears?

_Probably the Inu in her… _

Or were they sad tears?

_I can't help but want to be there… _

What was she going to do?

_for her…_

After staring at the papers for a while, endless thoughts fueling her hesitation, she finally broke out of her shock. She attempted to reign in her fears and think about the situation rationally.

Inuyasha was her daughter's natural father. He had made that stupid comment about 'coitus', and how it doesn't mean he had selected a mate. That also means he could have been sleeping around, _fathering bastard children_.

Oh Gods, he was an idiot. It was entirely possible that he could have fathered a child and been unaware if Kikyo neglected to tell him. Aimi, his daughter.

Her doubts returned with the force of a mack truck, causing her to whimper quietly. Why hadn't he called after their little party? Maybe he _had_ lied, and this was his way of letting her know that he really wasn't comfortable?

She really didn't want to think that; ever since they had begun dating, it was like she had died and gone to heaven. Each day was filled with joy for her, and she found happiness around every corner. Nothing could bring her down. But now for the first time in weeks, she felt apprehension, fear and despair.

What if he really didn't want to be a part of Aimi's life? Should she tell him what she had just discovered? Of course, it was only the right thing to do; the poor man had no idea that he even had a child. She bolstered her nerves, and picked up the phone to call him.

Her fingers hesitated on the receiver. He hadn't called her, and it was nearly a week later. Maybe he really didn't want to see her. She felt the painful sting of tears filling in her eyes, surprisingly more painful than the tears she shed when Hojo said she was leaving her. Could she really go through with this?

Inuyasha had a right to know, if he didn't already know. Did he? He would have told her if he had realized. How could he have kept a secret like that from her? No, if he knew, he would have told her for sure.

She had to call him, tell him what she discovered, and deal with it from that point. It wasn't a matter of the two of them dating or not. He had a right to know that her daughter was also his daughter.

His natural daughter. A life that he helped create. He helped create Aimi's life. For some reason, that made her care for him even more.

With a heavy hearted sigh, she pressed the final number to dial his home and waited for him to receive on the other end.

_"Hello, Kagome?,"_ he said as he answered the phone.

"Inuyasha, hi, how are you?" she mumbled, feeling foolish for even including such pleasantries.

_"I'm fine, how about you?" _he sounded apprehensive as well. That wasn't boding well for her.

"I'm alright. I was just going through some paperwork, and I thought I should let you know something I discovered," she began slowly. She really shouldn't be doing this over the phone, she just realized. When she found out, she felt like she should tell him right away. That was the right thing to do, right?

_"Oh, some of your paperwork concerns me, huh?" _he replied. She could tell he was trying to make a joke, but at the same time he still sounded like he was scared. Could it be possible that he already knew something? No, no… I must sound nervous too, it's just rubbing off on him.

"Yes, it concerns you, and," she paused for moment, and then with her last breath she whispered the name of her daughter.

_"Aimi? Alright… Uh.. er, hmm..."_ there he goes again, being nervous. Why is he nervous? Please Inuyasha, don't be nervous… it only made her think that…

"Yes, I found her birth certificate today," she said. His silence caused the fear within her to contort into a vicious anger, building with the force of a typhoon. "Her mother, her name was _Kikyo_. Kikyo Itou. Your ex-girlfriend. And since you were so positive that she was Inu, but have _yet_ to locate a dog who –"

_"Just stop Kagome, you sound upset,"_ he said calmly. However, he didn't continue. What was he playing at?

"Inuyasha? You need to hear this because I think that –" she began, but her heart tore in half when he cut her off.

"_You're right… I already know, I think I am Aimi's father."_

No… he knew, but…

"So you did know," she groaned, her throat constricting her breath. Tears started to stream down her cheeks, pooling upon the photocopy of the document in question.

"You knew," she whispered, despair her only companion. "You knew… but you didn't tell me? How could you?"

_"Kagome, I wanted to tell you, but –"_ he began, sounding exasperated.

"But what? You're too much of a coward to own up to your own responsibilities? What is it, Inuyasha? Were you lying to me when you said you cared for both me and Aimi?" she started to yell. He started to fumble for his words but she cut him off again, anger seeping into every pour in her body. "Tell me, Inuyasha, did you think it was okay to be with a woman who had a child because as long as it isn't yours you can walk away at any moment? What kind of game do you think this is? Is it acceptable to trifle with the feelings of a mortal, because I won't be around longer than a heartbeat in your eyes?"

Her tears and sobs were clouding her judgment as she yelled at him through the receiver on the phone, "I can't believe this, Inuyasha. I finally learn about my daughter, but then her father turns out to be a selfish, arrogant, childish little boy."

_"Kagome, that isn't fair,"_ she heard one of his urgings. _"Please let me explain, Kagome! Don't do this!"_

"Don't do what, Inuyasha? Give you what you want?" she spat, "That's fine with me, if you aren't sure you're capable of being with me, when you know that Aimi is your daughter, then I know I'm **NOT** capable of being with you. I don't want her to be hurt by such selfishness."

Her heart was furious, but her mind was telling her she was over reacting, but before she knew it, she had slammed the phone back down to the ground, effectively hanging up on the hanyou.

He didn't return her call. She wanted him too, but it never came.

[:::]

_Beep beep beep…_

Inuyasha blankly stared at the receiver which he held in front of his face (since he didn't really need to hold it to his ears). The dial tone punctuated each pounding beat of his heart; a red river of blood, methodically flowing, forcing the misery deeper into his gut.

What had just happened?

Did he really need an answer? He knew what happened; his mind had suggested he keep the secret of his daughter's birth from her adopted mother. In other words, he had done something idiotic – again!

Damn it, how could he have been so stupid? Pacing the hall, his loud footsteps reverberating within the hallow walls. He clinched the forelocks of loose hair, tugging at his head dramatically. He had made some stupid, rash, idiotic choices in his life, but not telling Kagome… that really made the top of the list.

He moaned sadly thinking about the destruction he was causing to her heart. She had screamed her head off at him; the blame she threw in his face was harsh and he deserved every word. She hadn't heard any of his pleas; all he wanted was for her to listen to him. He wanted her to see and understand his confusion. His heart was hurting as well and her venomous jeering had poured acid on an open wound. If only she had found out a week earlier, he wouldn't have been in this mess. If only he had told her when he found out…

His splintering heart was aching in his chest as he made up his mind. Wallowing in his self-pity was no longer an option. Not that he had really been doing so, but anyone who could see his house at this moment would come to that conclusion. It was a wreck.

He rushed into the living room, narrowly avoiding the past weeks mess. Strewn about the floor were small piles of unwashed discarded clothing. Every counter, table, shelve, or any other flat surface was adorned with an assortment of ramen cups, disposable ninja food containers and wrappers. His school crates had been knocked over during the weekend, and he refused to set the mess to rights. The television was playing an infomercial for some Made for TV product that he wasn't interested in. The ladies voice only a numbing distraction for the real issues he was avoiding. There wasn't a single item in its rightful place in the living room which made him scowl at the work he would need to do when he returned home.

He carefully maneuvered through the obstacle course, which was his living room, and found the kitchen. He quickly poured a cup of coffee, and collected his keys off the dining table. His coat was found carelessly draped over a lamp on his way out of the house, tugging it on while he gulped down half his coffee, and locking the entry.

After hoping in his car he groaned at his current state of dress, only wearing a pair of worn sweat pants, and a plain white t-shirt. He was relieved beyond imagining when he realized that the shirt was void of stains. His hair, which wasn't normally kept anyways, was teased into knots, but he ran his clawed hands through it while pulling out of the drive. Once he approved of his styling job, he realized he probably over looked the most important detail.

Carefully sniffing the area around him, he tested the air to catch his own scent. It was notoriously difficult to be able to smell your own scent, considering it was an ever present odor. However, on this occasion, he didn't have any issue picking up the foul smell he was current wearing. Well, he hadn't showered for at least two days, and had been in his own filthy house. It wasn't really a surprise.

Opening the glove compartment, he found a bottle of old cologne, which he normally refused to wear, but opted for Kagome's benefit over his own sensitive nose. The light spritz that filled the compartment of his car, and essentially his upper body felt refreshing. The pungent odor, on the other hand, was rank in his opinion. He eyed the bottle, and remembered that it was a purchase that Rin had gotten him for a gift, Christmas or something, a year or so ago. Hopefully the girl hadn't just sabotaged his chances. Well, worse than he had already done himself.

He pulled to the first stop light, and glowered at the red LED which was keeping him from Kagome. The woman had a right to know, and understand everything that he had come to terms with this past week. It seemed like minutes before the damn thing turned green, watching all of the other cars allowed passing through the intersection _except_ his!

Finally, before he got out the car to dismantle the blasted contraption, it blinked to green, and his mind eased a bit. He couldn't handle this, if he didn't get to Kagome's house, and quick, he was going to go insane.

He growled low at himself, hating what he had done to the woman. It was only a week before he made a vow to never allow anyone to hurt her. Then here he had to hurt her worse than anyone before. She sounded so shattered, but in the beginning she was hopeful. He could tell that she had suspicions, but that she was hoping beyond hope that they were false. That he hadn't kept that important information from her. It was as bad as lying to her face. She hoped that he hadn't betrayed her trust.

But he had.

He was going to fix this; he was going to make it right. No matter what, losing her was unacceptable. She was the mother of his daughter, damn it, he was going to be there for her. Either way, even if after this she still pushed him away, he would still be there for her and Aimi. He was going to make sure the woman never doubted that he cared for her. That he cared for her daughter. His daughter.

He gulped deep in his throat. That exact thought is how this problem all started. Kagome needed to understand that he was just blow away by the possibility of being Aimi's father. He loved Aimi, even when he wanted to deny it, he could tell there was something about her; there was more than just a pack association between them. He knew that she was… a part of him. He just didn't want to accept it. Reality and logic had by passed his very instincts. He was a fool.

He didn't have time to think about it anymore, because before he knew it he had pulled into her driveway and rushed to her door.

[:::]

When she heard the doorbell ring, she felt her nerves tense. She knew who it was; did she want to answer it?

Little did she know, outside Inuyasha was fretting on the same issue. Would Kagome open the door? He so desperately wanted to comfort her, assure her, but he couldn't do it until she let him in; in more ways than one.

"Kagome," he called out to her from the porch. She slumped next to the wall of her foyer, and cried a little more. "Please, Kagome, let me in. I know you're upset, but you don't need to be."

She scoffed at his words, what did he mean she didn't need to be? Didn't she just prove that she _did _need to be upset? He didn't want his own daughter, damn it.

Inuyasha stood impatiently outside of her house, trying his best to not tear the door directly off the hinges.

"Kagome, I don't know how much longer I can sit out here before I start ripping down the door. I would rather not destroy your door…" he said, really believing is own words. Ruining her door wasn't really a good way to get on her good side again. His youkai was going into a fit, firstly at wanting to be with Kagome, and secondly to see Aimi again.

He had almost lost that battle when he heard her unlock the deadlock, and the main doorknob lock. Slowly she opened it, and he was welcomed to her puffy eyed face. He didn't waste a moment of rushing to gather her in a tight embrace, which she tried to fight off, but eventually calmed.

"Kagome, please, calm down," he coaxed. "You're just misunderstanding the situation. You don't need to be upset; I still care about both of you."

"Then why?" she whimpered into his chest, "Why didn't you tell me when you realized? How long have you known? The whole time?"

"No, I just learned," he whispered into her ear, still attempting to sooth her sobbing. He ushered her into the house, and closed the door. Taking her into the living room, he sat her on the couch, and kneeled before her legs looking deep into her bloodshot eyes. They were still beautiful, he noticed.

"Why, please tell me. Why did you feel like you couldn't tell me?" she pleaded, focusing desperately on her lap.

Glad that she was willing to talk with her, he hurried his explanation.

"Kagome, I'm so sorry that I hurt you, I really had no idea you were going to figure it out on your own," he winced when she gave him a glare. Maybe that wasn't the best way to start.

"Great, so you learned, and you were just going to keep it from me?" she huffed, how could he be such an idiot? Really, first he calms her, and now here he was, pissing her off again.

"No, I was just so shocked to learn that I was a dad. I mean… You adopted Aimi, you wanted Aimi. Even though I think Aimi is great, I hadn't been expecting to learn that she was my daughter. I just needed time to process everything. I had intended on telling you, I promise.

"I just didn't know how to say it. I was worried," he said, as he mused about his own running imagination. "I just thought you might be upset, to learn that _I_ was her father. I mean, I'm a youkai, and I couldn't even tell she was my own. How could you ever want someone as stupid as that to be the father of your precious daughter? It's pretty insulting really. I wasn't sure what you would think if you learned. I was scared that when you learned the truth... it would end everything between us. That you would let me be her father, but that you wouldn't want to be with _me_ anymore. I don't know Kagome; I was just scared, just like you are now."

Her breathing slowed down, and she finally met his eyes, "Really? You still _want_ to be with us?"

"Of course! Aimi is my daughter. I want to be a part of her life, I always have, since the day I met her. I just didn't know a way to say it before without sounding like a complete perv," he smiled at her. She chuckled in response, the mood lightening slightly.

"And what about me," she ventured, with all the hope she could muster.

"Kagome, I want to keep what we have. I want _more_ than what we have," he urged. "Please don't tell me that you want to give up because of the stupid things I do. I know I do some really idiotic things, but I'm willing to do anything to make it up to you. Kagome, I really like you. I don't want to let you go."

"You're _in like_ with me?" she said hopefully. "You mean, you like _like_ me?"

He chuckled, and leaned in and gave her a gentle tingling kiss. When they broke apart he whispered on her lips, "Yes, Kagome, I like _like_ you."

She smiled brightly, and nodded as she threw her arms around his neck, "I like like you too."

"YES!" the two adults looked up to see Aimi peeking over from the corner of the hallway.

"Aimi! How long have you been awake," Kagome flushed, trying to gather herself together.

"Since Daddy threatened to break our door," she giggled, but finished with a gasp, "just like in The Three Little Pigs!"

Inuyasha flushed at her words. In that moment he felt like someone from above had just walked up and given him a swift kick in the ass.

"And just how long have you known _that_ Aimi?" he said, wondering if he really was a stupid as he felt.

"Since the day you fell out of the tree at the park," she said with an innocent smile. "You just didn't know it yet, so I couldn't say anything until you figured it out too."

Reaching out her arm, Kagome welcomed the girl to her lap, and she rushed to join them. The three shared an embrace, and a contented sigh was felt around the world. Inuyasha took in the scent of the woman he was sure one day would become his mate, and the scent of his daughter.

Kagome sighed into his shoulder, and kissed him on the neck. Things were well and happy now that her daughter could now grow up as a normal child; one with a mother and father. Even if things didn't work out between Inuyasha and her, he would be there for Aimi as a father, just like she would always be her mother.

Aimi was just satisfied that with all her hard work, soon her Daddy and Mommy would get married. Then when she was all grown up, she could get married to Shippo.

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**[~A:|:N~]**

**4168**

**_Vocab Time!_**

_I want to do vocab, but really... this chapter didn't need any. So... no homework students._

Alright, so this is the final _main_ chapter of My Girl. I had a lot of fun writing it, and I am so glad that it was positively recepted, even though we can all agree that Inuyasha is pretty dumb. If you didn't catch it at the end, I think it may have been a little vague, little Aimi knew that Inuyasha was her Daddy from the get go. So... that sneaky little girl just worked her magic on him ^_^

If you didn't notice, I am still mid-decision on which story I'll post up next [1] or [2] from my profile. I'd love to know what everyone thinks.

Thanks all for the love you gave, it has been awesome!

-foa

Epilogue coming soon...


	11. Epilogue

My Girl

by Foayasha

_Disclaimer: The epic of Inuyasha, while wonderful, does not belong to me. Thus I cannot, and do not, claim to own any of the characters in this short story... but I'll totally take credit for My Girl ^_^_

_Thanks to ShagsTheDustmop for being my wonderful beta ^_^_

**My Girl – Epilogue**

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**I was gonna wait a little while to post this, but what the hell... enjoy!**

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Many many years later…

"I am _so_ proud of you," he whispered to her, as he walked her up the isle. She looked beautiful, her gown shining like a diamond inside the quaint cathedral. It had been decorated tastefully for the small ceremony, but it was perfect, and absolutely lovely. Just like her.

"Thanks Daddy," she said sweetly, and kissed his cheek. He took her hands, and carefully laid them into the hands of a young man. After glaring at the groom for a moment, causing his soon to be son-in-law to flinch slightly at the threatening display, he nodded with approval. At least the punk knew he would never hurt his little girl, for fear of him making sure he could never produce pups.

As he turned away he saw Shippo standing directly behind the groom; the best man and Aimi's lifelong best friend. Shippo gave him a fanged smirk and winked at him. He only rolled his eyes at the young youkai, turning to take his seat.

She watched him as he came closer to her, and when he sat down she wiped a tear away with a tissue. Cupping his cheek, she pulled him down to her lips, and kissed him gently.

"You look wonderful, do you know that," she said with a smile. "Very handsome, and your ears… very cute."

He growled at her lowly, but playfully, earning the attention of the rest of the youkai in the crowd. He blushed at the attention, but smirked at her. There entire family had arrived, Sesshoumaru, and his ward Rin, who he had ended up eventually taking as his mate; when she was of age of course (which was scandalous, but Sesshoumaru didn't seem to care). Her mother and brother also sitting quietly watching the ceremony.

In the rear of the sanctuary sat a middle aged couple. The woman's arms were crossed, her salt and pepper hair sat in a high pony tail, as she scowled at the man to her side. He had a pleasant look on his face, despite the red hand print across his cheek. Such was life for Shippo's parents. Sitting next to the couple were Shippo's siblings, about seven of them, all ranging in ages.

Scattered about the other pews were other various acquaintances that Aimi had met throughout her years. Including a couple of Ookami youkai, even though Ayame had yet to get Koga to settle down with her. She had time though.

After he was through with his gander of the gathered folk, he gazed appreciatively at his sweet mate. Leaning in to nuzzle her neck, she giggled, and playfully pushed him away.

"Inuyasha, not right now, its Aimi's wedding, be respectful."

"Aww, but Kagome," he whispered against her skin, "I just can't get enough of you."

"You can get some of me later," she replied seductively, earning a horrified look from Aimi, who had overheard their playing.

"You sure, you know… you can get to third base right now," he teased, and she swatted him again.

Leaning in he gently kissed her lips, and she eagerly accepted it, kissing him relentlessly until they were interrupted by a clearing throat. Splitting apart quickly they noticed that the priest was watching them with a rather annoyed expression. Aimi was red with embarrassment, holding her head in her hands. Her little bouquet drooping as her fist gripped it tightly. They were probably gonna hear it later from her. Much later... _well_ after the honeymoon.

Kagome chuckled, and waved for the priest to continue. While they sat watching the ceremony, she felt her husband place a gentle claw onto her swelling belly. Looking down at his hand while it traced light circles on her, she smiled. It took several decades of trying, and Inuyasha didn't seem to mind, but she was finally able to become pregnant.

Gazing up she noticed that Inuyasha was watching her with a soft expression; a loving expression. Once again cupping his cheek in her palm, she leaned to his ear and for the millionth time confessed her love to him.

He kissed her forehead, and returned her gesture of love before they settled down to focus wholly on the ceremony.

The peaceful vows and music were fairly brief, and before long the wedding was nearly complete. Inuyasha and Kagome watched with interest as the priest said his long awaited words: you may kiss the bride.

When he did so, a wicked grin appeared on Aimi's face, and she swiftly wrapped up her groom into a tight embrace, her slender arms entwined around his waist. With forceful youkai strength she dramatically bent him backwards over her arm, looking deep into his eyes. She gave him a heart stopping smirk before placing a forceful kiss upon his lips.

Her parents burst out laughing at the sight of the upside down groom, and their playful, headstrong daughter. They both thought simultaneously, while sharing their own kiss:

_That's my girl!_

_- the end!_

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**[~A:|:N~]**

**827**

That's it folks! I left there plenty of space, so that if I ever have the urge, and come up with something really good, I could bring back these characters in a sequel. We'll see though. ^_^

Thanks again, Love u all!

Cheers - Foayasha

PS: Alright, since I have gotten several questions about this, so probably everyone is wondering... Who did she marry?111

Well, I didn't want to say, because... who knows? Its supposedly decades later (I would imagine at least 30-40 years in the future). ^_^ There is too much story in there for me to nail down poor Aimi into a marriage without any sort of explanation. For now, just imagine the cutest or hottest, or ... most debonair guy you would like. Keep an eye out, _maybe_ I'll answer that question, and toss it in my Oneshot catalog (practice makes perfect). O_O That one and... the answer for how old Inuyasha is. Suprised nobody called me out on that one either, lol.

Thanks again all!


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